Keitaro Goes Psycho!
by RPGer
Summary: Chapter 15 [Complete!]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina.  
  
Yep, it's me again, (aparently) everyone's favorite LH fanfic writer.  
  
For those of you wondering, no, I haven't stopped working on my main story (more like a book, really). This is just a side project I thought up that I can't bring myself to just push aside.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The light of the morning sun shone through the window of the room of Keitaro Urashima, slowly arousing him from a deep sleep. He slowly sat up on his futon, yawning and stretching his arms out. The landlord of the Hinata Girls Dormitory stood up and walked towards the window, staring out at the wonderful view.  
  
Unfortunately, he was well aware that this will most likely be the high point in his day. On a regular basis, he gets bruised, battered and beaten by some of his tenants. First on the list is Motoko Aoyama. Using her ki attacks, she causes him serious harm at any given opportunity. Next is Kaolla Su. Unlike Motoko, her attacks--coming in the form of kicks to the face--are usually friendly in nature, but that doesn't make them any less painful.  
  
However, these two would pale in comparison to the third: Naru Narusegawa. Sure, her punches are powerful enough, but the effect she has on his heart overshadows that by far. For about as long as they have known each other, Keitaro has had a deep crush on her. However, his adoration hasn't exactly been mutual, as Naru has shown almost no sign of any feelings toward him outside of hatred.  
  
It's that "almost" that still gives Keitaro hope, as there are some moments when Naru opens up to him. Unfortunately, these moments always seem to end poorly for Keitaro, not only because of the inevitable pain coming to him, but also due to Naru's usually cryptic messages. Therefore, he still has no clue as to Naru's true feelings for him, with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel any time soon.  
  
"What am I going to do?" Keitaro asked himself with a sigh. "Am I destined to love, yet be unloved?" His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in." He turned to watch the door open and a young, blue-haired girl step in.  
  
"Good morning, Sempai," Shinobu said timidly. "Did I wake you?"  
  
"No," Keitaro said, forcing a smile. "I was awake for a few minutes already."  
  
"Um, breakfast is ready."  
  
"Thank you, Shinobu. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
The now blushing Shinobu nodded, then skipped out of the room. Like Keitaro to Naru, Shinobu had a crush on Keitaro. Being as shy as she was, she couldn't bring herself to tell Keitaro her feelings. Despite this, it was obvious that Shinobu held a certain affection towards him. The only one who was in the dark was Keitaro himself, and it pained her to know that he may never find out; or at least not until it was too late.  
  
As soon as Shinobu closed the door, the smile vanished from Keitaro's face. Through all the pains he has suffered, both physically and emotionally, he has remained cheerful, but as of late, he found it increasingly dificult to maintain. Pity was never something he wanted, and he didn't wish for anyone to worry needlessly about his well-being. However, he could only guess as to how long he could keep it up.  
  
As he got dressed and went downstairs, his thoughts turned to not if he'll get beaten, but when and how many times; and what his prediction turned out to be didn't cheer him up any.  
  
When he arrived in the dining room, he saw that he was the last one to do so. This has been the case for a while now, but nobody has paid that much attention to it as of yet, which was fine by him. The last thing he wanted to do was make anyone worry, especially Shinobu, who had a tendency to do just that at a moment's notice.  
  
"Good morning, everyone," Keitaro said in his faux cheerful tone.  
  
"Morning, Keitaro!" Suu said from her seat at the table, eager to begin the morning meal.  
  
Keitaro sat down just as Shinobu set the food in front of everyone. Conversations began and ended as usual, but he paid no attention to any of them, still following the morbid train of thought he's been on all morning and then some. The only thing that could break him out of it was Naru tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, you in there?" she asked.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, I must have zoned out for a minute."  
  
"You seem to be doing that more and more lately," Naru said. "Is there something going on?"  
  
"Nah, I've just got stuff on my mind right now."  
  
"Oh?" Kitsune said, being her usual nosy self. "Like what?"  
  
"Nothing important."  
  
"Are you sure?" Shinobu asked. "Maybe it'll help if you talked about it."  
  
"It's nothing worth getting all worked up over." Keitaro said as he stood up. "Thank you for breakfast, Shinobu. It was delicious as always." He then walked out of the room, his food only half eaten.  
  
---  
  
"Something's bothering him," Kitsune said as the girls relaxed in the hot spring. "I just know it."  
  
Motoko nodded in agreement. "There is an aura of distress about him." Normally, she wouldn't care what befell the supposedly perverted man--mostly because she was one of the ones dealing out punishment left and right. Despite this, she has come to know that if he's depressed, or even secretly so, he ends up sucking the life out of the room.  
  
"Do you think he worried he might not pass the next entrance exam?" Shinobu asked.  
  
"She's right," Kitsune said. "Failing three times isn't exactly something to be proud of."  
  
"I don't think that's the problem," Naru said. "The next exam is still a long ways off. Even I haven't thought about it that much lately."  
  
"Maybe it was something he ate," Suu suggested.  
  
"Somehow, I doubt that," Kitsune said.  
  
"Thank goodness," Shinobu said, feeling relieved. "I would hate to think that my cooking was the cause of all this."  
  
Meanwhile, Keitaro heard every word that was said as he sat in his barrel on the third floor, crying silent tears. This was not only because of his own plight, but also due to the others showing concern for him. They never spoke of such matters to his face, and one side of his mind preferred it that way, wanting to sort things out on his own without outside interference. However, the other side of his brain wanted nothing more than for them to quit talking about him behind his back. If they would just come talk to him face to face, maybe, he'd be able to express himself and stop bottling up his feelings like he has for so long. Then again, this has never helped all that much in the fast, as he either gets ridiculed, beaten or both for his efforts. Therefore, with this knowledge at hand, he felt that the only way to keep things from getting worse is to not do anything at all. Of course, this option wasn't exactly something to look forward to by any means.  
  
As he dried himself off and got dressed, he did all he could to try to keep his mind off his problems, but by the time he got to his room, nothing had worked. "Is there nothing I can do?" he asked himself. His answer seemed to come in the form of a sound from above. "That's it. I have to talk to Naru about it. I know the possible consequences, but nothing can be worse than what I have to go through right now." Filled with new hope and determination, he climbed up the hole connecting his room and his love's, pushing the wooden cover off in the process. "Hey, Naru, can I--" His words caught in his throat as he realized he picked exactly the wrong moment to be brave.  
  
Right as Keitaro came in, Naru was in the process of changing. She had her back turned to him at the moment, giving him a great view of her backside, clad in only her bra and panties. Upon hearing Keitaro's voice, Naru quickly turned around, but didn't see anyone. Keitaro was so distracted by the sight of Naru in her unmentionables that he lost his grip, falling back into his own room.  
  
Despite not actually see it, Naru knew instantly what had just happened, and she reacted in her usual way. Not wasting any time to finish getting dressed, she jumped down the hole to find Keitaro laying on the floor before her, a trickle of blood coming out of his nose and a panicked look on his face. "You just can't get enough, can you?!"  
  
"But Naru, I can explain--"  
  
"Explain this!" Within moments, Keitaro was flying out the window, final destination unknown. "And to think, I was starting to feel sorry for that pervert," Naru muttered as she climbed back up to her room.  
  
---  
  
"I was wrong," Keitaro thought midway through his flight. "It can get worse, and I guess that's all I can expect." Seeing the ground coming towards him at an alarming rate, he braced himself for impact. If there was anything for him to be thankful for, it was his apparent invulnerability. If it wasn't for this, he would have ended up a bloody stain on the pavement long ago. Even though everything thrown against him has proved not to be fatal, it did little to dull the pain, and this time would be no different.  
  
After the rough landing, he got up, brushed himself off and began the long trek home, completely ignoring the weird looks he was getting from the general populace. Within a minute of walking, he happened to pass by a bookstore. Figuring the getting something to read might get his mind off... well, everything, he went in to see what he could find. Fortunately for him, he had his wallet with him. Apparently, he had subconsciously known what would happen when he went up to Naru's room and he had grabbed it without even realizing it.  
  
After a few minutes of browsing the shelves, he found one the caught his interest, and after paying for it, began reading it as he walked. It was at some point between then and when he returned to Hinata-Sou that inspiration had struck. He knew what he had to do, and that the lives of those around him will never be the same again...  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
What does Keitaro have planned? Who will be left standing afterwards? These questions qill be answered next time. Please R&R! Tell me what you think so far! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina.  
  
The suspense must be killing you. Admit it.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
After Naru sent him on his latest involuntary flight, she finished changing and set out for the living room as though nothing was different. Granted, Keitaro getting his lights punched out wasn't exactly something new to Hinata-Sou, but that's beside the point.  
  
As she entered the living room, she saw that everyone else--well, almost everyone--had already gathered there. From the looks on their faces, it was obvious that they had heard what just befell their manager. "What did he do this time?" Kitsune asked, as though it was no big deal.  
  
"He tried to sneak a peek again, that what!" Naru said, still pissed at the perverted ronin. "When will he know better?"  
  
"Never, I hope." Kitsune said. "I like seeing him get punished."  
  
"I hope he's alright," Shinobu said, almost in a whisper.  
  
"Why do you worry yourself over that no good, lecherous, perverted, sorry excuse for a man?" Motoko asked.  
  
Shinobu's face started to turn red. "Um, well, I..."  
  
"Shinobu loves Keitaro! Shinobu loves Keitaro!" Suu sang over and over again.  
  
"SUU!" Shinobu yelled, embarrassed to no end by the foreign girl's taunting. Despite her efforts, she couldn't get Suu to stop, so she ran out of the room.  
  
"You see?" Naru asked. "If it wasn't for him, our lives would be so much simpler!"  
  
"Maybe, but it would be pretty boring without him around," Kitsune said.  
  
"Unlike you, some of us actually have something to do during the day," Motoko said.  
  
"Well, aren't we all high and mighty today," Kitsune shot back.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Motoko asked.  
  
Now, Naru knew well enough not to get involved when Motoko and Kitsune started arguing, so she decided to go check on Shinobu. When she eventually found the young girl in her room, crying her eyes out. "Are you alright?" Naru asked.  
  
"Suu can be so mean sometimes," Shinobu sobbed.  
  
"Don't worry," Naru said, bringing Shinobu close to her in a comforting manner. "I'm sure she was just playing around like she always does."  
  
"That's just it," Shinobu thought. "I think I do love Sempai. But I know he loves Naru. She's so mature looking and I'm so... not. I don't see myself ever getting the attention that I really want from him. I wish it was him hugging me instead of Naru. I miss him already. I hope he gets back soon."  
  
---  
  
While the girls were referring to him in various ways, the wheels were turning in Keitaro's head. The plan that he had come up with was too perfect to pass up. Sure, he may end up regretting his actions, but he felt it was the only way--at this rate, he felt life could only get worse. He has been the quintessential puinching bag for far too long, and it had to end; by any means necessary. "I only hope it works the way I want it too," he mused. As he started making his way up the steps, he mentally prepared himself for what was about to go down; now wasn't the time to get cold feet.  
  
---  
  
Now, you must take into account the fact that Keitaro was taking longer than usual to get back this time around. In most cases when he sent halfway across town, he's back in about twenty minutes. At this point, it has been an hour and he still has yet to return, and it was starting to get the girls a bit restless.  
  
"Where the heck is he?" Kitsune asked out loud. "How far did you send him this time, Naru?!"  
  
"I didn't hit him any harder than usual," Naru said. She and Shinobu have already returned to the living room, where they made Suu promise to stop pestering the young girl.  
  
"Depending on where he might have landed, who knows what condition he is in," Motoko said. Inside that emotionless exterior, she was starting to worry about him as well. Most days, you could almost set your watch to the guy, so when something like this occurs, one can't help but wonder what has happened to cause it.  
  
"You mean he could be out there somewhere, seriously hurt?" Shinobu asked. "Or worse?!"  
  
"He's not dead," Naru said. "I've hit him enough times to know that he practically invincible. Knowing him, he most likely just got himself stuck in a tree or something."  
  
"Yeah, your probably right," Kitsune said. "Though that wouldn't keep him for this long, would it?"  
  
Hearing the front door open, everyong rushed over to find their manager entering, seemingly unharmed--well, no more so than usual. "Where the heck have you been?" Naru asked. "You had us all worried about you!"  
  
"Why?" Keitaro asked, clueless as ever. "What happened?"  
  
"You being gone three times longer than usual, that's what!" Kitsune said. "Hey, what's in that bag?"  
  
"Oh, this?" Keitaro asked, revealing a paper bag from behind his back. "It's just some light reading I picked up on the way home. I guess I must have gotten so involved in it that I lost track of time."  
  
"What is it?" Shinobu asked.  
  
"It's nothing, really. Not worth mentioning. Well, I'll see you guys later."  
  
"Hold on a minute," Naru said, blocking Keitaro's way. "Don't you have something you want to say to me first?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know... an apology, maybe?!"  
  
Keitaro looked a tad confused. "Apologize for what?"  
  
"For trying to peek at me, that's what, you dumbass!"  
  
A serious expression appeared on Keitaro's face. You must understand that everyone in the room had expected him to begin begging for forgiveness like his life depended on it by now, and none of them could have forseen what would come out of his mouth next. "Why would I want to peek at you?" He put emphasis on that last word. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." He walked right past Naru on his way up to his room, leaving all the girls in a state of shock, and rightly so.  
  
"Okay," Kitsune said. "Tell me I didn't just hear what I thought I heard. Naru, are you sure you didn't hit him harder than usual?"  
  
"It seems he may have finally grown a backbone," Motoko said.  
  
"Is Keitaro not a pervert anymore?" Suu asked, most likely not all that aware of what she was saying.  
  
Naru's mind was an absolute mess, trying to sort things out, without much success. Out of everything that could have happened, this was probably the last thing she would have ever considered. Never before had she ever seen him stand up to someone, nor speak in such a malevolent tone--and to her of all people!  
  
Shinobu ended up voicing Naru's feelings out loud. "Why is Sempai acting this way all of a sudden?" she asked, looking worriedly at where Keitaro had left the room. Without even realizing it, her legs started moving her in the direction of Keitaro's room. She was also unaware of the fact that everyone was following her lead until she got there. Somewhat hesitantly, she knocked on the door.  
  
"Who is it?" Much to everyone's surprise and confusion, Keitaro's voice sounded very pleasant and inviting, almost the opposite of the way he was downstairs.  
  
Shinobu for one didn't know what to think at this point. "Um, we all just wanted to speak with you for a minute."  
  
"Sure, come on in." Shinobu was just about to open the door when Keitaro spoke up again. "Wait, is Naru out there with you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm right here," Naru said, somewhat meekly.  
  
Keitaro's voice suddenly changed again. "She can't come in."  
  
"Well, why not?!" Naru asked, suddenly angry at the upstart ronin.  
  
"Why should I try to explain myself to you? It's not like you'd actually listen or anything!"  
  
"Fine! I don't feel like talking to you anyway!" Naru started to walk away.  
  
"When do you ever?"  
  
Infuriated, Naru ran off. Nobody knew where she was headed, but they figured she wanted to get as far away from there as possible. After she was out of sight, Shinobu slowly opened the door, dreading what she might find behind it. "Um, Sempai?" she asked, seeing his seated at the table.  
  
"Yes?" Keitaro said, the cheerfullness in his voice returning full force.  
  
"Uh... I..."  
  
"Didn't you say you all wanted to talk to me?"  
  
"Um, yeah." Everyone then started to enter the room.  
  
"This may sound silly," Kitsune said. "But who are you and what have you done with Keitaro."  
  
"You're right," Keitaro said with a slight chuckle. "That is silly. I am who I've always been."  
  
"I must disagree," Motoko said. "You have always been a spineless coward, but today, you stood up to Naru and trying to pass it of as nothing."  
  
"Yeah," Kitsune said. "You can't just go and make your personality do a complete 180 and not expect us to wonder why."  
  
"Maybe he's under some sort of brain control or something," Suu thought out loud, lightly poking at Keitaro's head.  
  
"Everyone, I can assure you that nothings wrong; I have just done some thinking and made a few life choices, that's all."  
  
"Um, Sempai?" Shinobu said. "Why were talking that way to Naru?"  
  
"What do you mean, Shinobu?"  
  
Shinobu's already red face grew brighter as Keitaro smiled at her. "I mean... I mean..."  
  
Kitsune decided to speak up for the flustered girl. "She means that you used to almost worship the ground she walked on. What gives?"  
  
"I finally realized that, for this whole time, I had been worshiping a false god. There's no point in pursuing someone who makes it obvious that the feelings aren't mutual."  
  
"I guess that makes sense," Shinobu muttered.  
  
"Is something the matter, Shinobu?"  
  
"Uh, no! Nothing at all!" Shinobu said, laughing nervously. "I need to go do the laundry." She quickly made her way to the door.  
  
"Don't work to hard, okay?"  
  
"Well, I suppose we'll all leave you alone for a while," Kitsune said.  
  
"See you all later," Keitaro said.  
  
"Okay," Kitsune said as soon as the door was closed. "Is it just me or did he just change for the better?"  
  
"I agree," Motoko said. "He seems more disciplined than before. Even his aura appears morer focused."  
  
"Let's just hope it's not temporary."  
  
"Sempai..." Shinobu thought. Out of everyone, she was probably the most disoriented by this odd turn of events. A unique opportunity has been presented to her, but she wasn't sure if she would ever bring up the strength to take advantage of it.  
  
---  
  
"Well, that went better than expected," Keitaro thought after they left, taking a deep breath. "This is it; I cannot turn back now. I must move forward with this. And to think, this whole thing was inspired by this book." He reached underneath the table and produced said book--entitled "Psychology and You". "I never thought I would ever speak to Naru in such a way, but I must find out how she really feels about me. Hmm, while I'm at it, I could do the same for the others as well." He went to his bookshelf and retrieved an empty notebook. "Let's see, what do I know about everyone so far...?"  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
What do you think? By now, you can pretty much guess that the title was somewhat misleading, and what happened here might have been a bit of a let down for those of you who like dark fics. If so, I apologize, but this is what I had planned from the start. See you next time! Please R&R! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina.  
  
Perhaps this chapter will appease some of you dark fic fans a bit.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
For Naru, saying that the rest of that day was frustrating would have been a grave understatement. The whole time, Keitaro seemed to pay more attention to the other girls than herself, and when he did turn his sights on her, it was never in a friendly, kind-hearted manner like he used to do concerning her. It it's place was a kind of expression that seemed to say "Yeah, you're there, so what?"  
  
This blantant disregard for her only worked to make her angrier than she already was, and she wanted nothing more than to send him sky high like she always would, but suddenly found that task harder than usual, as the other girls were quick to come to his defense. Sure, from Shinobu it was to be expected, but this support came from everyone--Kitsune, Suu, and even Motoko. She went to bed that night wondering what the heck was going on, how and why Keitaro's personality changed like it did and why the others appeared so unfazed by it, as though nothing had changed.  
  
Naru wasn't the only one who was negatively affected by this, as Keitaro himself felt like he was committing the worst kind betrayal known to man, and his heart ached knowing that he was treating his beloved as badly as he was. However, he knew that if he stopped moving along his current path, the string of constant abuse would resume, and perhaps even intensify because of what he had done. He knew he had to stick with it to the end, when, hopefully, everything will work out for the best.  
  
Despite his inner torment, he had to admit that this did have its upsides. While it was obvious that his actions were having a negative effect on Naru, it was having a positive effet on the other girls. They appeared to prefer this new confidence over the old cowardice. This convinced him to broaden his horizons a bit. Granted, the main objective of this project is still to find out Naru's true feelings concerning him, but now, he decided to do the same with everyone else; to figure out things that his natural cluelessness prevented him from seeing sooner.  
  
---  
  
Naru ran down the sidewalk, a look of terror etched on her face. She did not know what exactly she was running from, nor for how long; all she knew was that if she stopped for any reason, the end result would be nothing short of disastrous. She looked back to see what was chasing her, but could only see the thick fog that had settled around her in a matter of moments, preventing her from seeing any farther than a few feet.  
  
Naru was so preocupied with might be behind her, she was completely unaware of what was in front of her. This caused her to run headlong into something, knocking her down in the process. "I'm sorry, I--" Her breath caught in her throat when saw who it was that she had rammed into.  
  
"Hello, Naru," Keitaro said, now towering over the younger girl.  
  
"Oh, Keitaro, it's you," Naru said, the unfamiliar feeling of helplessness washing over her. "I'm sorry I ran into you, but there's something trying to get me." She slowly got to her feet, looking back the whole time.  
  
"Is there now?" Keitaro asked, amused by Naru's plight. "And what do you expect me to do?"  
  
Naru was shocked by Keitaro's tone of voice. In the past, he would bend over backwards to help her, but now, it seemed as though he couldn't care less. "Keitaro..." she said, slowly approaching him. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Keitaro's grin turned into a sneer as he shoved Naru back down onto the ground as soon as she was within arm's reach. "You have no idea, do you?" he asked. "For as long as I've known you, you've done almost nothing except push me around, knock me down and beat me when I got there. You deserve no help from me."  
  
Four shadowy figures appeared behind Keitaro. Naru couldn't put her finger on it, but they looked familiar somehow. From them came the most sinister laughter Naru had ever heard. She looked on as one of them handed something to Keitaro, and she gave a look of absolute horror when she saw what it was.  
  
"You know," Keitaro said, examining the gun he now held in his hand. "I once held a place in my heart, just for you. Now, all that's left of it is a gaping hole. I think it's only fair that I return the favor, don't you?"  
  
"Y-Y-You can't be serious, can you?!" Naru asked frantically.  
  
"Good bye, Naru," Keitaro said, leveling the firearm at her chest. "You will not be missed." He then pulled the trigger.  
  
---  
  
Naru woke up in a cold sweat, the sound of a gunshot echoing in her mind. She sat up on her futon, spending the next few moments trying to get her heart rate and her breathing back to normal levels, her dream replaying itself in her head the whole time. To say that she was creeped out by it would not have done her justice. "Where did that one come from?" she asked herself. Granted, she has had violent dreams before, but this was the first she was taking it instead of dishing it out. "It's all that stupid baka's fault. Where does he get off, blowing me off like he did yesterday? And why were the others defending him like they were? None of this makes any sense at all."  
  
She looked toward the window; daybreak has just gotten underway. "He's going to pay for invading my dreams," she thought, turning her gaze at the plywood cover that separated her target's quarters from her own. She quickly removed said cover and jumped down into the landlord's room. "Keitaro, you--" She stopped when she saw that Keitaro wasn't there. "Where is that idiot? What could he be up to this early in the morning?"  
  
Had he known what could have happened to him, he should have considered himself lucky, which would have been a change of pace to say the least, but he was too preoccupied by the thoughts milling through his brain at the time to even consider it. For him, the previous day was spent taking notes concerning the personalities of all the girls, save Naru. Today, he would get to know them even better, and he knew exactly where to start.  
  
Just ten minutes before Naru's intrusion, Keitaro stepped out of his room, making sure to be as quiet as possible, so as not to wake anyone up. Of course, he was sure there was somebody was already awake besides himself, which was why he made the effort to get up this early in the first place. When he got to the roof, he was a bit surprised to find his target not there. "Where is she?" he asked himself.  
  
"Where's who?"  
  
Keitaro turned around to find Motoko walking towards him. "Dang, I actually beat her here," he thought. "I didn't see that coming." Despite the surprise, Keitaro kept his cool. "Oh, there you are. I was just coming up here to see if I could meditate with you for a while. Is that alright with you?"  
  
Now it was Motoko's turn to be surprised. Never before has Keitaro participated in any aspect of Motoko's training--at least not willingly. Then again, after seeing what appeared to be a period of change in Keitaro's life, one should expect the unexpected. "Is there any particular reason why?" she asked.  
  
"I just thought you would like some company," Keitaro said, to a point, thinking on his feet. "You must feel pretty lonely being up here alone every morning."  
  
"Not really, but I don't mind you joining me this one time. However, I usually do not begin meditation until after my sword training."  
  
"I understand." Keitaro started walking towards the far corner of the platform. "I will keep out of your way, then. I wouldn't want you to strike me--accidental or otherwise."  
  
In complete silence, Motoko watched Keitaro take a seat. "I'm still struggling to believe it," she thought. "Urashima has always been a spineless pervert, but now..." She actively avoided looking at Keitaro as she walked out onto the roof to begin her regimen. "Now, I don't know what to think. He appears more confident now than ever before, yet he has lost none of his kindness--except when it comes to Naru, that is. What could have happened to him to make his personality shift so much in such a short amount of time?"  
  
As hard as she tried, she found her gaze drawn to Keitaro like he was a magnet. "Though I must admit, his change was difinitely for the better." After a few minutes of this, Motoko felt her heart rate slowly increase, and it was obvious a good portion of the blood was going to her face, and she was grateful that Keitaro had his eyes closed in meditation the whole time. "What is coming over me? It's not possible that I could be... attracted to him, could I?" She quickly shook her head. "No, that can't be it. He is a vile, perverted man, and I shall have nothing to do with him." The way she thought that last part made it appear she was trying to convince herself that.  
  
Motoko wasn't the only one sorting things out in their mind, as Keitaro was doing the exact same thing. However, while Motoko was debating over her feelings for the landlord (or lack thereof), he was planning out the events of the rest of the day. With these plans came contingency plans, most of which involving Naru in some way or another. He knew that if he was to go on with what he wanted to accomplish, he had to cover as many bases as possible, since being caught off guard might screw up the whole thing.  
  
He didn't know exactly how long he had been "meditating", but when he finally opened his eyes, he found Motoko staring at him. As soon as she realized this, she quickly turned away in an effort to hide her blushing face. "Motoko?" Keitaro asked.  
  
"Y-Yes?"  
  
"Is there something wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing at all," Motoko said, laughing nervously. "Why would there be anything wrong?"  
  
"Alright, then," Keitaro said, getting up. "But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'd be happy to help in any way I can."  
  
Motoko spared a glance back at Keitaro, and she could swear her heart just skipped a beat. "That smile..." She thought. Never before had Keitaro made a look like that towards her, and it only served to add fuel to the fire. All these unfamiliar emotiond were beginning to overwhelm her, and she did what any rational girl would do in her situation.  
  
Keitaro looked on as Motoko unsheathed her sword; he knew what was about to happen, even though he had no earthly idea as to why. However, he did know that if he put up a resistance, it might only provoke her further, so he did the only thing he could think of. "Go ahead," he said, spreading his arms out wide. "I don't know what I may have done to deserve it this time, but if you feel it has to be done, then hit me."  
  
Motoko's grip on her sword started to loosen. She just realized she was about to strike someone for no reason than to release pent up emotion. Ashamed, she put her sword away. "I apologize, Urashima. You have done nothing wrong. I was just... um, well..."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Keitaro said. "I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end. I'm going to go get some extra sleep in before breakfast. See you then." As he went down the stairs, the wheels were turning in his head. "She was blushing just now," he thought. "I may be making progress faster than I thought I would."  
  
"Why?" Motoko thought after Keitaro was out of sight. "Why was I about to strike a defenseless innocent? He had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet I was about to attack him as though he had just murdered my kin." Before her mind could get any more muddled, she heard voices coming from the hallway.  
  
"There you are." Motoko instantly recognized Naru's voice. "And just where have you been?"  
  
"Out on the roof with Motoko," Keitaro said, adopting his offhand persona yet again. "What's it to you?"  
  
Motoko knew what was about to happen. "What did you just say?" Naru asked, her tone sounding angrier than before.  
  
"You heard me," Keitaro said.  
  
Not another word was said between the two, but the sound of Naru's fist hitting Keitaro's face was unmistakable. Moments later, Motoko saw Keitaro reappear onto the roof, this time rolling up the stairs from the force of the blow. "Urashima, are you alright?" she asked, rushing to his side.  
  
"Yeah," Keitaro said, staggering a bit to his feet. "I'll be fine." He flashed Motoko another smile before going back downstairs, leaving Motoko in a state of bewilderment.  
  
"What could have brought about this change in you, Urashima?" Motoko thought. The next thing that came to her mind would come as a great surprise to her, and understandably so. "And why didn't it happen sooner?"  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
And the seeds have begun to be sown. What will happen next? Find out next time. Please R&R! 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH.  
  
It's great that so many of you like what I have thought up. I hope to continue making such quality work.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Shinobu woke up about an hour and a half after Keitaro's time on the roof, completely unaware of what has happened. She got up and looked out the window. "What a beautiful morning," she said. Her thoughts quickly turned to what had happened the previous day, and in an instant, her face started turning red. "Sempai... What could have happened to make you turn your back on Naru like that?" Of course, she was well aware of what everyone thought was the answer: That Naru had finally hit him one too many times, and that opened a couple doors for the young girl. "Now's my chance to tell him how I really feel about him." A depressed expression suddenly appeared on her face. "What am I saying? He'd never be interested in me. Even if he has gotten over Naru, he'd probably choose someone more mature than me. I had better stop kidding myself."  
  
Wiping tears from her eyes, she got dressed and made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast, but when she got there, she found a surprise waiting for her. "Hello, Shinobu. I was starting to wonder when you were going to show."  
  
The blush on Shinobu's face returned with a vengeance. "S-Sempai?! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Making breakfast," Keitaro said, as though it was silly to think otherwise.  
  
"You... You didn't have to. I could have done it myself."  
  
"I know, but you do so much around here, I just wanted to lighten the load a bit."  
  
"But I don't mind doing chores here, I really don't."  
  
Keitaro flashed that smile at her. "I thought not. I'd be honored if you were to join me."  
  
Shinobu's face glowed brighter. "Y-You would?!"  
  
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? It's not often that I get a chance to work with such a talented and--dare I say--beautiful cook?"  
  
Shinobu's heart skipped a beat. "Did he just say what I thought he said?!?" she thought. She then started to feel light-headed and the next thing she knew, she was in Keitaro's arms.  
  
"Are you alright?" Keitaro asked. "Maybe you need to lie down or something."  
  
Shinobu shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said as she stood back upright. "He thinks I'm beautiful," she thought. "He actually thinks I'm beautiful!" She looked to Keitaro, who had returned to his cooking. "Maybe I stand a better chance than I first thought."  
  
"Dang," Keitaro thought. "First Motoko, now Shinobu. Looks like my plan is working pretty well so far, what with the girls starting to open up to me. Actually, come to think of it, Shinobu always seems to be blushing around me. Why haven't I noticed that before? Goodness, just how clueless have I been?! Well, maybe it's time to try and get her more at ease around me. All I need is the right opportunity."  
  
The meal-making process went by in relative silence, with the minds of both Shinobu and Keitaro going a mile a minute, though their respective trains of thought were headed in different directions. Unbeknownst to them however, they were not alone in the kitchen, as a certain someone was looking in on them.  
  
"I don't believe this," Naru thought. "First he up on the roof doing who-knows-what to Motoko, and now he's in here with Shinobu. What could that pervert be planning? I oughta give him a piece of my mind... Wait, I have a better idea. I'm going to bring it up at breakfast; make a public spectacle out of it. He's going to regret ever being disrespectful to me."  
  
"Whatcha doin' Naru?" a voice whispered into her ear.  
  
Naru quickly turned around to find Kitsune's grinning face right in front of her. "Kitsune, what are doing, sneaking up on me like that?" she asked in a hushed tone to make sure she wasn't heard.  
  
"You're one to talk," Kitsune said, poking her head around the corner for a moment to see what Naru was so interested in. "Spying on Keitaro, huh?"  
  
"It's not what you think," Naru said. "I was just making sure he wasn't doing something he shouldn't."  
  
"Uh huh. I'm sure that was all you were doing. Looks like I'm starting to rub off on ya." Naru just stopped listening to the fox lady and continued her observations, but Kitsune wasn't about to be ignored so easily. "You know," she said. "You can't hide it from us."  
  
That got Naru's attention. "Hide what?"  
  
"Why, your feelings for Keitaro, what else?"  
  
Naru's eyes grew wide. "Are you nuts?!"  
  
Kitsune just grinned, knowing she had just struck a nerve. "I'm not hearing a no."  
  
"Why would I want to associate myself with a sleazy pervert like him?" Naru asked, anger starting to make itself known in her voice.  
  
"You tell me."  
  
Before Naru could respond to that, they heard voices coming from the kitchen. "Wow, Shinobu, this is great!" Keitaro said.  
  
"You really think so?" Shinobu asked, as timid as ever.  
  
"Of course," Keitaro said. "Your cooking is always wonderful. I'm glad I could be a part of it this time."  
  
"You're always welcome to help me make the meals, Sempai. Is it alright with you if I go get the other girls?"  
  
"Sure, go on ahead. I can finish things up here."  
  
"Time to make ourselves scarce?" Kitsune asked.  
  
"You read my mind," Naru said. The two sneaks rushed out of the room just before Shinobu came by, completely unaware of their prior eavesdropping.  
  
A few minutes went by and all the girls were gathered in the dining room. The only person missing was Keitaro, but that was quickly rectified. "Good morning, ladies," he said pleasantly as he brought in a couple plates of food. "...and Naru." He knew this might turn ugly, but how would that be different from any other day?  
  
"Why that insolent little..." Naru thought, fists clenched and eye twitching. "I ought to beat him to within an inch of his life... but then I wouldn't be able to humiliate him in front of the others. Of course, I could always kill him afterwards." As Keitaro contined to bring in food, Naru was trying to think of the most inhumane forms of torture and murder she could come up with. When Keitaro finally settled down to eat, she put those thoughts aside and proceeded with Operation: Humiliation. "Keitaro," she said. "What are you trying to pull here?"  
  
"Here we go," Keitaro thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Naru," he said, stressing that last word just a bit.  
  
"Don't give me that! You've been acting weird ever since yesterday, and I want to know why!"  
  
Keitaro tapped his chin a couple times. "Hmm, let's see... nope, still haven't a clue."  
  
"Really?" Naru asked. "Well, let me give you one, then. Why were you being all friendly with Shinobu earlier?"  
  
"What? Is it suddenly illegal for me to make breakfast?"  
  
"You're dodging the question! Don't make me beat en explanation out of you."  
  
"Go ahead. You've hit me for less." Seeing the fire in Naru's eyes told him he'd better go along with her, lest his plan come to an abrupt halt. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "Out of everyone here, Shinobu has been the nicest to me since I first set foot here. What, you expect me not to be friendly to her?"  
  
"I just don't want a pervert like you making moves on her, that's all. After finding out your were out on the roof doing who-knows-what to Motoko this morning, I can't take any chances."  
  
"Oh, please. What I was doing on the roof couldn't be thought of as perverted by anyone's standards."  
  
"Is this true, Motoko?"  
  
"Yes," Motoko said. "He just meditated in the corner of the platform the whole time."  
  
"Besides," Keitaro said. "Even if I did try anything, she wouldn't hesitate in delivering her usual punishment..." He turned to Motoko. "Am I right?"  
  
"Uh, right." Motoko still felt a bit guilty about what she had almost done earlier, though she tried her best to hide it.  
  
"I suppose if you even have Motoko vouching for your innocence, I can believe it," Naru said. "But that doesn't mean I trust you."  
  
That was what Keitaro was waiting for. "Why?" Fire one. "Are you jealous?"  
  
"WHAT?!! Why would I be jealous?!"  
  
The grin that appeared on Keitaro's face was like none the girls have ever seen on him. "Think about it. You're not the only one here that could win a beauty pageant." He then glanced around the table. Suu was the only one who paid no attention to it, as she had her full attention on the food in front of her.  
  
Kitsune chuckled a bit. "Well, he's certainly got you on that one."  
  
"Shut up!" Naru yelled. "Why would I be envious of him? He's just a no-good perverted loser who's never had a girlfriend in his life. Plus, he failed the Toudai exam three times now!"  
  
"You're one to talk," Kitsune said. "You're saying that as though you actually passed that exam yourself."  
  
"Or that you've ever had a boyfriend," Keitaro added. "Big surprise, considering how violent you are. Most guys would be terrified to come within ten feet of you, much less want to get to know you." The calmness with which he said that--for that matter, how he has spoken during this entire ordeal--was unnerving.  
  
"Dang," Kitsune thought, actually opening her eyes. "I wasn't going to go that far. I may kid around, but even I have my limits."  
  
"You..." Naru couldn't contain her rage any longer, but her methods were somewhat altered. "You IDIOT!!" She cried as she leapt over the table and pounced on Keitaro, pinning his shoulders to the floor. "You have no right to mock me!"  
  
"Really?" Keitaro asked, that grin still on his face. "Was that what I was doing?"  
  
Naru's train of thought had turned to expressions that wouldn't be allowed on basic cable, but kept it inside for the sake of the minors in the room. However, her actions told a different story as her hands wrapped around Keitaro's throat and began choking the life out of him.  
  
"Naru, what are you doing?!" Shinobu shrieked. However, Naru didn't listen, as she was intent on killing the man who dared poke fun at her expense.  
  
"Naru, stop it!" Kitsune said as she and Motoko grabbed each arm and pulled Naru away from Keitaro.  
  
"NO!" Naru yelled as she struggled to get free. "Why are you stopping me?!"  
  
"You need to calm down, Naru," Motoko said.  
  
"No, he needs to die!" Naru would continue to rant as she was dragged up to her room.  
  
"Sempai, are you alright?" Shinobu asked, fearing the worst.  
  
"I'll be fine," Keitaro said, sitting up and catching his breath. "That was a close one," he thought. "Good thing Kitsune and Motoko saved me. For my own safety, maybe I should tone it down just a bit."  
  
A couple minutes later, Kitsune and Motoko returned. "Wow," Kitsune said. "I have never seen Naru that angry before in all my life; not even at you." She sat back down next to him. "Keitaro, I gotta tell you; about what you did just know..." She wrapped an arm around Keitaro's shoulder. "I am so proud of you! You stared death right in the face and didn't even blink!"  
  
"Eh, she had it coming," Keitaro said.  
  
"There you go again," Kitsune said. "Trying not to make a big deal out of it. Let me tell you, this is a big deal. Any doubts I had about you are gone; you are a changed man, and I like what I see."  
  
"As long as they don't figure out my deception," Keitaro thought. "That's all that matters."  
  
"Is Naru going to be alright?" Shinobu asked. Keitaro was secretly wondering this as well.  
  
"She has calmed down somewhat," Motoko said. "But it may not take much for her to explode again. Urashima, I think you should try to avoid her as much as possible in the near future."  
  
"I was just thinking the same thing," Keitaro said. "I'm not exactly in the mood to be talking to her anyway." "At least not until I have something else planned for her," he thought. "Man, I hope I don't go too far with this. I may not survive to see the end."  
  
End of Chapter 4  
  
And round one comes to a close. What will happen in round two? Find out next time. See you then! Please R&R! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH.  
  
Just so you all know, I have no idea just how this fic will turn out yet, so don't give me suggestions as to who to pair Keitaro up with. It's not that I don't appreciate the input, it's just that I tend to go with the flow of the story and whatever happens, happens. (In fact, more happened in ch4 than I had first intended.) In my other fic, this is how my character got paired up with Shinobu.  
  
Anyway, back to the matter at hand...  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The rest of breakfast went by pretty peacefully, what with Naru not in the room and Keitaro being as cheerful and friendly as ever. The only ones who seemed a bit out of sorts during this time was Shinobu and Motoko, the former trying to keep from appearing too happy that Keitaro was paying so much attention to her, and the latter still trying to sort things out in her head with little success.  
  
When everyone finished eating, the girls went off to the hot spring while Keitaro began his managerial duties. "Oh man," Kitsune said. "There's nothing quite like a dip in the hot spring to ease one's tired muscles."  
  
"When was the last time you had tired muscles?" Motoko asked.  
  
"Well, I never said I was speaking from experience, did I?" Kitsune quickly decided to change the subject. "What was that whole thing about you and Keitaro on the roof this morning?"  
  
Motoko got a bit flustered, but didn't show it. "What is there to say? Urashima met me up there, meditated for a while, then left. Naru just happened to find him on his way down." She was careful to leave out certain details.  
  
"He should be more careful," Shinobu said. "If not, Naru might try to really hurt him again and we may not be able to help."  
  
"I almost did just that," Motoko said, instantly giving silent curses to her mouth for working before her brain had a chance to.  
  
"Excuse me?" Kitsune asked.  
  
"While he was on the roof, I almost hit him."  
  
"What did he do?" Shinobu asked.  
  
"That's just it; he did absolutely nothing to deserve my wrath. I was going to beat him purely out of convenience just to vent. He saw my attack coming, but did nothing to stop me. In fact, he intentionally left himself wide open, telling me point blank to go ahead if it was truly warranted. Fortunately, I came to my senses." Motoko looked down at the water. "I am ashamed to have showed such weakness over my own emotions. I don't deserve any kindness from him."  
  
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself," Kitsune said. "At least you had the strength to stop yourself before any real damage was done. Besides, something must have happened to trigger your attack mode."  
  
"You're probably right."  
  
"You have any idea what it was?"  
  
"Not really," Motoko lied. "I can't let anyone know about this," she thought. "I can only imagine what Kitsune would do or say if she found out that I might... I might..." She couldn't even find the strength to admit it to herself.  
  
"I guess you're not the only one who should watch herself."  
  
"What do you mean, Kitsune?" Shinobu asked.  
  
"If I'm not careful, I might start falling for the guy."  
  
"Y-You what?" Shinobu asked, now blushing furiously.  
  
"I know," Kitsune said, blushing a bit herself. "I never thought it was possible either, but now that Naru appears to be out of the picture, I can't help but wonder where the rest of us stand."  
  
"I don't really care where I stand," Suu said. "I just like playing with him. Plus, he's just a perverted loser."  
  
In a way, Suu took Motoko's words right out of her mouth. "I agree," she said, though with less conviction than when she usually says or refers to such things.  
  
"Well then, that just leaves you and me, doesn't it Shinobu?" Kitsune asked, nudging the young girl a bit.  
  
"W-What are you talking about?!" Shinobu asked.  
  
"You can drop the act, kiddo; you're not fooling anyone."  
  
Shinobu's face grew brighter. "Is it that obvious?"  
  
"Listen," Kitsune said. "The only one who's in the dark about how you feel about Keitaro is Keitaro, but considering the way he's been acting lately, it might not take all that long for him to finally figure it out. When he does, you have to be ready. You know, I really envy you right now."  
  
That one took Shinobu by surprise. "You what?"  
  
"It's true. When the time comes for you, you can be more open about it. What am I supposed to do? I don't think my usual methods will work as well from here on."  
  
"And just what were your 'usual methods'?" Motoko asked.  
  
"You mean you haven't FIGUREd it out by now?" Kitsune asked, chuckling at her deliberate choice of words.  
  
"Oh dear," Motoko said, shaking her head a bit.  
  
After spending about twenty minutes bathing, the girls dried off, got dressed and headed for their respective rooms, but they happened upon a certain someone along the way. "Hey Naru," Kitsune said. "Where are you off to?"  
  
"The hot spring," Naru said. "Maybe a trip there can get my mind off that idiot."  
  
"I don't think that's--" Shinobu started to say before Kitsune placed a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Hope it works out for ya, Naru," Kitsune said. "See you later."  
  
"Why didn't you let me tell her?" Shinobu asked after Naru left the room.  
  
"I think we should let her find out on her own. Besides, it should be fun to watch." With that, she ran up the stairs, giggling as she went.  
  
"This won't end well," Motoko said, shaking her head.  
  
---  
  
At that moment, our favorite landlord just happened to be out cleaning the hot spring. As per his request, the four girls that had made use of it told him when they were done. Of course, that was before they ran into Naru and sent her his way.  
  
Hearing the door open, he turned to see who it was. "Did you forget anyth--" The smile vanished from his face in an instant. "Oh, it's you." "Oh shoot," he thought. "What am I going to do now? I hadn't prepared for this yet!"  
  
"What are YOU doing here?!" Naru (who at the time was wearing a towel and not much else) asked, already angry at seeing the object of her hatred again so soon.  
  
"Cleaning the hot spring," Keitaro said, thinking on his feet. "It is my job, after all."  
  
"Don't give me that! You're just trying to find excuses to sneek a peek at me!"  
  
Keitaro looked a bit repulsed. "Why would I? You're saying that as though it would be worth the effort, even if you didn't catch me and send me across town for it."  
  
Naru definitely wasn't expecting that response. "What are you saying?" she asked.  
  
Keitaro made his way across the hot spring, passing by Naru in the process. While he looked cool, calm and collected on the outside, his mind kept repeating the same words over and over again: "Don't look at her chest, don't look at her chest, don't look at her chest..." When he got to within a foot of Naru, he stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "You're a bright girl; you figure it out." He then walked inside, leaving a dumbfounded Naru in his wake.  
  
---  
  
"Woah," Kitsune thought. She had seen the entire thing from up on the roof. "I thought for sure he would freak out when Naru found him. If Naru in a towel doesn't faze him, what will? This guy just keeps getting weirder and weirder--at least for him." At this point, her mind was split; one side urged her to use these events to her advantage, but the other side only wanted answers--mainly how he turned into his polar opposite in such a short amount of time.  
  
---  
  
Kitsune's mind wasn't the only one plagued with unanswered questions. "What just happened?" Naru thought out loud. She hadn't moved an inch since Keitaro left. "Why didn't he beg for forgiveness when he saw me? Why did he say what he did? Why didn't I hit him when I had the chance?!" Finally, she regained her bodily functions, walking over to the water and taking a seat. "And what did he mean by 'it wouldn't be worth the effort'? It's like he doesn't find me attractive." She laughed at that. "What do I care what that pervert thinks?" Her laughter was short lived, mostly due to the tightness in her chest. "What is happening to me? Could Kitsune be right? Do I actually have feelings for him?" She quickly shook her head. "No, it's not possible. But still, why am I feeling like this right now...?"  
  
After a quick bath, Naru would spend the rest of the morning in her room--mostly to put some space between her and Keitaro and his suddenly sharp wit and even sharper tongue. The next time anyone would see her again would be during lunch; even then, she hardly spoke a word. However, the events after the midday meal would force her out of the shadows--in a manner of speaking. It all started with a simple announcement...  
  
"So long everyone!" Shinobu said. "I'm going to go get some groceries. I'll be back soon."  
  
"Hold on," Keitaro said. "I'll come along."  
  
"Y-You will?" Shinobu asked, now blushing. With this, along with helping make both breakfast and lunch, it appeared that Keitaro was making a conscious effort to be a bigger part of Shinobu's life. She wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
"Like heck you will!" Naru interjected. "There's no way I'm going to trust you alone with her!"  
  
Keitaro frowned. "What does it have to do with you?"  
  
"Well, nothing, I just--"  
  
"Then butt out." Keitaro turned to Shinobu. "C'mon, the sooner we go, the sooner we get back." He glanced back at Naru. "Or we could just take our sweet time." Shinobu simply nodded as they headed for the front door.  
  
"And the hits just keep on coming," Kitsune muttered after the two made their rather hasty exit. "This is turning into a rout."  
  
"Don't treat this like some sort of game, Kitsune," Motoko said. "The circumstances are far too serious for you to be so casual about it."  
  
"Hey," Suu said. "Where did Naru go?"  
  
Kitsune and Motoko looked around the room. Indeed, it looked like Naru had vanished in thin air. "Good question," Kitsune said.  
  
---  
  
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Keitaro said as he and Shinobu walked down the front steps. "I know how you hate confrontation."  
  
Shinobu slowly shook her head. "It's alright. At least it didn't end with violence like breakfast did."  
  
"Let's just hope that doesn't happen again," Keitaro said.  
  
The next few moments were, at least for Shinobu, spent in an uncomfortable silence. "Um, Sempai?" she asked timidly. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I was just wondering, how did you really feel about Naru before... well..."  
  
Keitaro gave a sigh before answering. "I suppose it was bound to come up sooner or later." Much to his surprise, the words that had been stuck in his throat for so long just seemed to roll off his tongue. "It's true that I had a crush on Naru. Actually, it was much deeper than that. I was in love with her, pure and simple and almost from day one." He looked down at the ground. "But that's all in the past now. I should have known better than to think that she would ever feel the same way about me. I guess she was right about one thing; I am an idiot."  
  
"Don't say that," Shinobu said, instantly coming to Keitaro's defense. "Love can make people do some silly things." "I know that first hand," she thought.  
  
"You're right," Keitaro said, picking his head up. "There is no sense in constantly looking back at what has already been, when there are so many things that have yet to happen that I could look forward to." He smiled brightly at Shinobu. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine."  
  
The redness on Shinobu's face brightened. "Okay," she managed to say.  
  
As the two continued on their way, they were completely unaware that someone had been listening in on their entire conversation, nor the tears that had begun to flow freely down her cheeks.  
  
End of Chapter 5  
  
And the plot thinkens further. What will happen next? Find out next time. See you then! Please R&R! 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH.  
  
Sorry it's taken so long for updates. Writing papers for school can be a real pain; I'm sure most of you can relate.  
  
Anyway, this story just seems to be a magnet for Naru-bashing, doesn't it? Well, it's not like I don't see why. Alright, let's move on with this Jeckyll and Hyde story before the Naru-lovers start spamming or flaming me.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Moments after Keitaro and Shinobu left for the market, Naru went out after them to make sure the pervert kept his hands to himself, and ended up with quite the learning experience. The last thing she expected to hear was Keitaro confessing his feeling for her--correction, the feelings he used to have. She then let her targets get away, as she was rooted to that one spot, unable to believe her ears.  
  
"He..." SHe said in barely a whisper, tears beginning to stream down her face. "He... loved me?" Without even fully realizing it, she started to run back towards the inn. She slammed open the front door and ran by Kitsune, Motoko and Suu as she went upstairs.  
  
"Well," Kitsune said. "That answers that question, but brings up so many more."  
  
"Was she crying just now?" Motoko asked.  
  
"So it wasn't just me," Kitsune said. It wasn't often that anyone sees Naru act like she did, so they figured something big must have just happened. Without giving it a second thought, the three started towards where they knew she had gone. "Hey, Naru!" Kitsune said, knocking on the suddenly distressed girl's door. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Go away!" Naru wailed from inside. "Leave me alone!"  
  
"Come on, Naru!" Kitsune shouted. "I just wanna talk!"  
  
"I'll talk when I feel like talking and not before!"  
  
"She is so stubborn," Kitsune muttered. "Well, I suppose there isn't much we can do at this point outside of breaking in."  
  
"Yes," Motoko said. "Our only option is to wait until she becomes more sociable."  
  
"Either way, we're going to need some answers..."  
  
---  
  
"The nerve of that Kitsune," Naru thought from within the confines of her room. "Always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong."  
  
"You can't really blame her, can you?" another part of her brain responded. "You run by her crying your eyes out and expect her not to worry about you?"  
  
"Shut up. She has no idea what just happened."  
  
"And you did a great job of enlightening her, too. You make me so proud to be a part of this brain."  
  
"I said shut up!"  
  
"You don't even know why you're crying right now, do you?"  
  
"If you don't keep quiet, I'm going to--"  
  
"You'll what? You've been able to keep me at bay because of the constant abuse you've been giving Keitaro. He's not even home right now, so ignoring me is no longer an option. Now that we're on the subject, let's talk about Keitaro."  
  
"That's the last thing I want to think about right now."  
  
"Exactly. Why do you think hearing him say what he did struck such a sensitive nerve in you? Could it be that you love him as much as he does you--or should I say, did?"  
  
"Now don't you start! Why would I have any feelings for that no-good pervert?!"  
  
"You can't really believe that, can you? I mean, he gets so apologetic every time something happens. If he's the pervert you always make him out to be, you shouldn't be seeing any remorse from him at all."  
  
The part of Naru that had an obvious lack of rationale didn't know how to respond to that. "Um, well..."  
  
"Keitaro is not a bad man; never has been. He just suffers from bad luck and clumsiness."  
  
"Why are you defending him?"  
  
"Because, Shinobu aside, nobody else will, not even him. He truly believes it's all his fault, and your constant abuse hasn't helped matters. If only you could have confessed your true feelings before he gave up on you."  
  
"NO! How many time do I have to say it?! I do not love him!"  
  
"If that's the case, then you wouldn't care if you saw him with someone else, would you? Funny, you always seemed so against it in the past; why is that?"  
  
"Because he can't be trusted."  
  
"Why, because the first time you saw each other, neither of you had any clothes on? That can't be the only reason."  
  
"It's not like it stopped there. I can't even count how many times he's tried to sneak a peek at me!"  
  
"And now, he hardly even looks at you. Yeah, that's a real improvement. He gave you every opportunity in the world to be his girlfriend, but all you did was push him away. Face it, you blew your shot to be with the only man who truly cared for you--more than Seta ever did, I can tell you that much."  
  
"Please, stop this!"  
  
"The truth cannot be stopped. You have kept it down for far too long to of any good to anyone. Tell him how you fell and maybe, just maybe, he will take you back--that is, if one of the other girls don't get him first."  
  
Meanwhile, the physical Naru was sitting at her table, her hands gripping the sides of her head as the battle waged on in her mind.  
  
---  
  
While Naru was coming to terms with her inner demons, Keitaro and Shinobu went on to the market to buy groceries, completely unaware that anything was going on back home. The trip went without a hitch, though both of them were in deep thought about surprisingly similar topics. On the way back, Keitaro decided to speak up with intentions of confirming something that he had been curious about since breakfast. "Shinobu?"  
  
"Yes, Sempai?" Shinobu said.  
  
"I've been wondering something lately: Why are you always so nervous around me?"  
  
Shinobu took a deep breath. "Just go ahead and say it," she thought. "Well, for the longest time, I've... liked you."  
  
"Is that all?" Keitaro asked. "I don't see what's so bad about that. I mean, I like you, too."  
  
Shinobu shook her head. "I don't mean it like that."  
  
"Oh." All of a sudden, realization set in, and his eyes grew wide. "Oh!"  
  
"Yeah," Shinobu said. "I don't know when it started, but I've had this crush on you."  
  
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"  
  
"I didn't want to come in between you and Naru. All I want is for you to be happy, even if it wasn't with me. Now that you two have... well, you know... I don't know what to think anymore."  
  
"She was all too willing to suffer for my sake," Keitaro thought. "As long as I have friends like you around, I'll always be happy," he said in an effort to be reassuring.  
  
"That's just it. I'm scared that I'm going to be just a friend to you and nothing more."  
  
"I can't promise I will ever give you the relationship you want from me, but that does not mean you will go unloved. You are a beautiful girl and in the coming years, boys will be beating down your door to be with you. I can only hope Naru, Motoko or Suu don't catch them tresspassing."  
  
Shinobu giggled at that. "Thank you. I didn't know how you were going to react to all this."  
  
"Believe me, I know how that feels." The rest of the trip home was spent in light-hearted conversation. When they entered the front door, they found some people waiting for them, and they didn't look to happy. "Hello, everyone," Keitaro said. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"I'll tell you something's wrong!" Kitsune said. "What did you do to Naru?!"  
  
"What are you talking about? We haven't seen Naru since we left."  
  
"Well, you must have done something, cuz a few minutes after you left, Naru ran in, crying. She's been locked in her room ever since."  
  
"I don't see what that has to do with me," Keitaro said as he headed for the kitchen to start putting the groceries away.  
  
"Yeah, if Naru wants to cry, let her," Shinobu said.  
  
"My, aren't we cheerful today," Kitsune said. "What's the occasion?"  
  
"I did it."  
  
"Did what?" Motoko asked.  
  
"I told him how I felt."  
  
"Good for you," Kitsune said, giving Shinobu a pat on the back. "How did he react?"  
  
"He was a little surprised, but I think you were right; he was starting to figure it out on his own when he asked why I acted the way I always did around him. That's when I confessed. Excuse me, I have to go help Sempai in the kitchen." With that, she left the room, giggling like the schoolgirl she was.  
  
"What could Urashima have said to make her that happy?" Motoko thought out loud.  
  
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Kitsune said. "Could it be that--" She quickly shook her head. "No, it's not possible. He wouldn't do something like that."  
  
"I'm not so sure," Motoko said. Apparently, the two were on the same page. "Considering how much he has changed, there is no telling what he is capable of."  
  
"I guess there's only one way to find out for sure," Kitsune said.  
  
---  
  
After putting the groceries away, Keitaro headed for his room, but ran across a certain someone along the way.  
  
"Shinobu sure was happy when y'all came home today," Kitsune said, leaning against her bedroom door.  
  
"Yep," Keitaro said. "It's always good to see a smile on that girl's face."  
  
"Yeah, it is. On that note, what did you say to her while y'all were gone?"  
  
Keitaro considered going into denial, but it was just delaying the inevitable. Besides, he heard what Shinobu said just minutes before. "I told her that it probably wouldn't work out between me and her, but that she shouldn't worry about it, since she'll have a long line of guys just waiting for the chance to date her later on in life. She's bound to find the right one sooner or later."  
  
Kitsune just nodded as she listened to Keitaro's explanation. She's heard a lot of let downs in her lifetime--most of which directed towards her--but that one had to have been one of the nicest.  
  
"This was probably what she was worried about the whole time," Keitaro continued. "But our age difference alone would have put any relationship we would have on shaky ground from the get go. Plus, if Motoko or Naru ever caught wind of it, they'd give me a death sentence for cradle robbing. I have to admit, though, if I had met her a few years from now, I'd be the one nervous around her, not the other way around." With that, both Keitaro and Kitsune went into their respective rooms.  
  
"Okay," Kitsune thought. "Naru and now Shinobu have been eliminated, and Suu's not interested, so that just leaves me and Motoko. Geez, I think I really am starting to fall for him."  
  
---  
  
Naru heard the sound of Keitaro's door opening and closing. Her inner struggle has been going on this whole time, and it wasn't about to end now. "Alright," the suddenly agressive part of her mind said. "He's back, so go down there and tell him how you feel!"  
  
"I'm not sure," the other side responded. "He doesn't have feelings for me anymore; you said it yourself."  
  
"Then at least try to patch things up while you still have a chance!" Somewhat reluctantly, Naru crawled over to the plywood cover and removed it to find Keitaro sitting at his table, textbook open and writing in a notebook. "Good, he's studying. Try to use that to your advantage."  
  
"Uh, Keitaro?" she called out loud.  
  
"Yes?" Keitaro asked, not bothering to turn around to face his visitor, giving the impression that he didn't care that she was speaking to him.  
  
"Are you already studying for the next entrance exam?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Keitaro shot back.  
  
"Well, do you want to come up here and study with me?"  
  
Keitaro tapped his chin with the eraser end of his pencil a couple times. "Let's see, I can either stay in here and at least try to get some peace and quiet, or I can go up to your room, where I'll get yelled at, insulted and eventually beaten. Gee, they both sound so appealing."  
  
Keitaro's sarcastic tone let Naru know he wasn't coming up any time soon. "Oh, okay," she said., replacing the cover and going over to her own table. "There must be some way to get him to like me again," she thought, new tears rolling down her cheeks. "There just HAS to be!"  
  
Meanwhile, Keitaro went back to writing his notes on Shinobu, based on what happened earlier. Upon completion, he turned to a fresh page, titling it, "Naru Progress Report" and began writing once again.  
  
End of Chapter 6  
  
Tell me what you think. I'll try to get the new chapter of my original fic up soon. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH, but one can dream.

Welcome back to the greatest show on earth! To put some of your minds at ease, I take no offense to you saying this one is better than my epic. The review count only is enough for me to figure that one out. Heck, I got 11 reviews within 24 hours (2 within 60 minutes) of submitting chapter 6! That's more than my other story ever did! Anyway, let's see what torments shall befall our favorite boxer this time, shall we?

Chapter 7

The next week would go by in a blur for most, while at a snail's pace for others. On the positive side, Shinobu appeared to have been affected the most. Where there used to be an extremely shy girl who would freak out at every mention of affection toward Keitaro--hers or otherwise--has been replaced by a carefree spirit. Her face didn't even turn a bright red when the two were in the same room anymore. This would be proven repeatedly, as Keitaro made it a point to join her in the making of the daily meals each day.

One step down from Shinobu was Motoko. Keitaro's accompanyments to her training sessions became more and more frequent and they have gotten to know each other a bit better. She never seemed to mind the visits, but along the way, she kept noticing certain things, like a smile, compliments to her skill or their eyes suddenly meeting--even for a split second. Under past circumstances, she would have regarded such things as nothing more than the banter of some perverted male and would have dealt with it accordingly, but in light of recent events, these subtle things triggered different emotions--ones Motoko definitely weren't used to having. It was times like this when she realized that she and Shinobu have, in a way, swapped places. With this in mind and her continuing to show her usual expressionless demeanor, she hoped any feelings for the landlord she might have wouldn't be found out nearly as quickly.

In the middle was Suu, who liked Keitaro even before all this began. Unlike the other girls, she only wanted him for a playmate and a test subject for her various, and usually dangerous creations. For his part, Keitaro allowed this to go on, but he used his newly developed common sense to ask what was going to be done to him when she asked for his help.

To the extreme negative end of the spectrum was Naru. Despite her efforts to be kinder to Keitaro, he showed no change in attitude regarding his former crush. Her violent tendencies have almost ended entirely and she made countless offers for Keitaro to join her in her studies or some other way for them to be in the same room outside of circumstance, but he wouldn't have anything to do with her. Logic and past beatings conspired against her, and she kept finding herself with nobody to lash out at but herself. All in all, she was no longer the confident girl everyone came to know, but a depressed shell who cried herself to sleep on most nights.

Last, but not least was Kitsune, who found herself caught between loyalties. As much as she liked what Keitaro had become, the same could not be said regarding Naru. Seeing her best friend turn into an absolute wreck was never something she wanted to see. This alone might have convinced her to do something, but there was more the situation than Naru's fall from grace. While Keitaro's rise in confidence was a good thing, it did make things a tad frustrating for the fox. Her usual methods of flaunting her features in order to get free rent or sake money became significantly less effective. This little development was the final straw, making her determined to find the root of Keitaro's transformation.

---

Keitaro's door opened, but not a soul actually stepped inside. "Keitaro, everyone's ready to go."

"Thanks, Shinobu," Keitaro said, not turning away from whatever he was working on; something Shinobu wasn't able to see from her viewpoint. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Don't be too long," Shinobu said before walking back the way she came.

Keitaro set his pencil down and stretched his arms a bit. That morning, he brought up the idea to go to a karaoke club. His main reason behind this was to see how the girls would act around him in public. Besides, it's been quite a while since the last time he went into town for reasons other than grocery shopping or something like that.

After putting his books away, he he went out to the hallway en route to where the others were waiting. For Keitaro, this was one of the most interesting--if not enlightening--weeks of his life. For a change, he found himself able to really get to know the girls without that threat of imminent death that always seemed to loom over his head in the past. During his observations, he noticed the changes that, at least indirectly, he had caused.

For starters, Shinobu had stopped being so formal to him; something she had demonstrated just now. Motoko was beginning to open up to him, but there was still something about her that he just couldn't put his finger on. Kitsune was still her usual foxy self, but her attempts to fleece him have started to decline. He assumed this was because he was somehow able to resist her femenine charms, but he resigned himself to the possibilty that she may step up her efforts in the near future. Out of everyone in the house, Suu was the only one who still attacked him, but he knew it wasn't due to faults on his part. Nevertheless, he had been kicking around a few ideas in his head for how to deal with it. Then there was Naru...

He walked out the front door to find everyone there waiting for him. A moment later, he found Suu flying toward him, foot ready to make contact with his face. "Here goes nothing," Keitaro thought. Much to everyone's surprise, he grabbed Suu by the ankle and used her momentum to swing her around and send her skyward a few feet and catching her in his arms on the way down.

The look of shock and the blush on Suu's face was something that doesn't happen often, but it would only last a few seconds. "That was fun!" she cheered. "Do it again!"

"Maybe another time," Keitaro said, lowering the foreign girl onto her feet. "Looks like those training sessions with Motoko are starting to pay off," he thought. (Note to Innortal: If you're reading this, you probably recognized that last part. I just want to say that I thought it up a couple days before reading chapter 7 of "Friendship, Love and Honor," so don't think of it as plagiarism, but as proof that great minds think alike.) He looked back at the group in front of him and a frown instantly appeared on his face. "Why are we bringing her?" he asked.

Naru flinched when she heard those words, as she knew exactly who he was referring to, but she kept her mouth shut, lest she be subject to yet another tongue-lashing. It was times like this that made her realize just how badly she had treated him in the past.

"Don't be so hard on her," Kitsune said. "Don't you think that she of all people needs this trip to at least try to cheer up."

Keitaro sighed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, she can come along, but for the record, I'm allowing it under protest."

"Y'all have fun, alright?" Kitsune called out.

"You're not coming with us?" Shinobu asked.

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"I've had enough bad hangovers this week. I think I'll just take a break from it all. I doubt the bars will miss me too much."

"We'll see you when we get back, then," Keitaro said. Suu had already latched onto his shoulders. "Thank goodness she's light," he thought.

"It is a good thing that she is starting to control her drink habits," Motoko said as they headed down the steps.

"Don't be so sure," Keitaro said. "She only said she was taking a break from the bars, not drinking entirely, though I guess it's better that she gets drunk at home than to try to make it home drunk--not that I know from personal experience or anything."

"Good point."

It was then that the group passed by the tea shop, where they found Haruka, taking a cigarette break. "Hello, Haruka!" Keitaro called out.

Haruka started to walk over to smack Keitaro for uttering that horrid four-letter word, but stopped short when she realized that he didn't say it. "Uh, hey," she said, never losing her composure--or at least making it appear that way. "Where are you all off to?"

"We're gonna do some karaoke!" Suu yelled cheerfully.

"Well, have fun." As they continued on their way, Haruka noticed that Naru looked quite depressed, but what surprised her was the fact that Keitaro was paying little attention to it, if any at all. In fact, it looked as though he was making an active effort to ignore the troubled girl. "Hmm," she thought. "I thought he loved her. There's something weird going on here." She shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, it's none of my business." Having finished her cigarette, she walked back inside.

It did not take long for them to reach a karaoke club, but for Naru, it felt like an enternity. The whole trip, Keitaro hardly spoke a word to her, focusing his entire attention on the other girls. It took all her strength to keep from crying then and there. "I have tried everything I could think of to have a meaningful talk with him, but he keeps pushing me away," she thought. "Why can't he just go back to being that selfless pervert I fell in love with?!" This wasn't entirely true, as she had considered outright seduction, but she vowed she would never stoop so low. However, after countless rejections, she was beginning to run out of options.

Naru wasn't the only one that was a bit ill at ease at the time. "Why am I here?" Motoko thought. "Urashima knows I'm not one for the social scene, so what possessed him to have me come along?" She made a sideways glance at said man. "As hard as I tried, I have not found anything unnatural about you," her thoughts continued. "But still, who is this man and what has he done with our manager?!" Keitaro glanced back and their eyes meeting for that split-second before Motoko turned her face away to hide the redness that appeared there. "What is wrong with me?! I am beginning to act like Shinobu used to!" Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Is something wrong, Motoko?" Keitaro asked.

"Or course not," Motoko lied. "Why would there be?"

"Alright, but I want you to remember that if you ever need someone to talk to, my door's always open."

"I'll keep that in mind," Motoko said, trying to sound somewhat threatening. "Maybe I should tell him about how I've been feeling," she thought. "Shinobu confessed her feelings to him and she has more confidence now than ever before. Naru aside, he seems to bring out the best in people if given the chance. I just wonder... what would happen to me?"

Walking inside, they found a suitable table and proceeded to watch as some famous songs were sent to the woodshed by people who should never have picked up a microphone. After about half an hour, Keitaro decided it was time to try his hand, getting up and walking towards the front of the room, where a notebook of available songs was available and began flipping through the pages.

"I wonder what he's going to sing," Shinobu said.

"Probably some dumb love song or something," Naru said, almost surprised she got a word in edgewise.

"I wonder if he can sing," Motoko said. "He certainly can't be any worse than what we've already seen today."

After a couple minutes of searching, Keitaro found a song that interested him and waited patiently for the man already on stage to finish. When the man walked off, accompanied by a chorus of boos (Well, what would you expect when you see someone try to pull off a Barry White rendition of "Toxic"?), he stepped up to the microphone.

All the specualtion made by the Hinata girls were put to rest when they heard the intro to the song Keitaro was about to sing. A couple of them recognized it right away, but the others quickly found out from the lyrics that Linkin Park's "Numb" wasn't exactly the, quote, "dumb love song" Naru said it was going to be. Indeed, it seemed to sum up what has gone on between the once dysfunctional and now defunct couple.

"Of all the songs that he could have picked..." Naru thought, tears welling up in her eyes. "WHY THIS ONE?!?" The energy that Keitaro put into the song didn't help matters, not to mention that he was looking right at her the whole time. Granted, he had ignored her the entire way there, but this wasn't exactly an improvement by any means.

"Where are you going?" Shinobu asked when she saw Naru get up from her seat.

"I need some fresh air," Naru said as she walked out, trying unsuccessfully not to look like she was in a hurry as she did so.

The song eventually came to a close, with Keitaro getting the best ovation of the day up to that point. "Oh man, that felt good," he said as he sat back down at the table, not giving any acknowledgement to Naru's dissapearing act. All the girls around were a bit concerned about the hasty exit, but didn't bother bringing it up, as they figured he saw her leave from up on stage.

Another hour went by and they decided to head back home. When they got outside, they saw that Naru was nowhere to be seen. "I wonder where she could have gone?" Shinobu asked.

"I don't think you should worry about her," Keitaro said, secretly wondering the same thing. "She probably just went back to the apartments." The trip back home went uneventfully, and they found themselves back at the tea shop.

"How was it?" Haruka asked.

"It was fun," Keitaro said.

"Where's Naru?"

"You mean she didn't come home?" Motoko asked.

"Not as far as I know. What happened?"

"Well, Keitaro was singing this song and she just walked out," Shinobu said.

"What song was it?" Haruka's question was answered by Suu singing some of the lyrics. "Okay, I've heard enough," she said after a couple bars.

"If you find out where she is, will you tell us?" Shinobu asked.

"Of course." Haruka watched them head up the stairs, all the while, racking her brain, trying to figure out what had become of her nephew.

When the Hinata crew--or what was left of it--entered the front door, they found Kitsune there, waiting for them. She looked as though she was a mother who had just caught her teenage son coming home drunk at two in the morning, and she acted like it too. "Keitaro," she said. "We need to have a little chat. Now."

"Sure," Keitaro said, curious as to what could make the party girl so serious. "What's up?"

Kitsune didn't respond verbally; rather, she motioned for him to follow her upstairs, which he quickly obeyed. About a minute later, a voice came from Kitsune's room--one that sounded more like the old Keitaro than at any other time that week: "YOU WHAT?!!"

End of Chapter 7

Too many questions, not enough answers. See you next time! Please R&R! 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina.

Alright, I won't bother explaining my absense, as most of you have school to deal with as well. Well, I'm sure you all know what is about to happen so let's just get down to the nitty gritty, shall we?

Chapter 8

When Kitsune heard Keitaro's idea for a group outing that morning, the wheels started turning in her head. She saw this as the perfect opportunity for some investigating. All she had to do was convince Keitaro to take Naru with him and make a good excuse to stay home. As she watched the gang walk away, she faintly heard Keitaro unintentionally making her story that much more believable. As soon as they were out of sight, she headed back inside and went straight for Keitaro's room.

"Alright," she said once she got to her destination. "Where should I look first?" A search of Keitaro's closet turned up empty and she was about to go through his dresser when she remembered something from back when this whole thing began. "He said he got a book while he was out," she said to herself. "Maybe that has something to do with it." Her attention quickly turned to the bookcase and she began looking through it for anything that might change someone's personality.

Frustration was beginning to set in for the fox in her fruitless quest until something caught her eye behind Keitaro's stack of girly mags. "What do we have here?" Kitsune asked, reaching for whatever was deliberately hidden there to find a book and notepad. Flipping through the book, she found it contained details on psychological conditions and personality traits. Inside the notebook, there was notes on each girl in the house.

"Is this is what he's been up to this whole time?" Kitsune asked. Almost on reflex, she immediately turned to the page referring to herself and read what it said.

"Mitsune 'Kitsune' Konno: Naru's best friend / Usually drunk to some degree / Lacks inhibitions / Uses sexual advances to get what she wants / Meddles in the affairs of others / Current opinion of me: Open wallet."

"Why that little sneak!" Kitsune said. "I should have known he couldn't have really changed his personality that quickly!" Somehow, she felt violated knowing that Keitaro had been taking notes on everyone, herself included; it didn't matter how true it was. She continued to read down the page:

"Experiment: Resist her advances. / Result: Gradual decline in attempts on her part, though she may try harder before too long." Father down the page was one last note: "Future experiment: Use her tactics against her."

"Is that so?" Kitsune asked. "Well, if he thinks he can turn the tables on me, he's got another thing coming." After reading what Keitaro had written on the other girls, she stationed her on the roof, waiting for the her dormmates to return. When the time came, she rushed back downstairs, not noticing that while five people left, only four came back.

When she reached the living room, after catching her breath, she struck her serious pose just in tme for the door to open. As soon as he entered the building, Kitsune's eyes locked on a certain sneaky landlord. "Keitaro," she said. "We need to have a little chat. Now."

"Sure," Keitaro said. "What's up?"

Instead of saying anything more, she motioned for him to follow her upstairs. "He really should have known better than to leave me here alone," Kitsune thought as the two made their way to her room. "Get in," she said, opening her door. Keitaro quickly obeyed, with her following suit, closing the door behind her.

"Is something wrong, Kitsune?" Keitaro asked.

"I'll say there is," Kitsune said, getting right in his face. "Your attitude, for starters."

"I thought you liked what I have become," Keitaro said.

"I did," Kitsune admitted. "But on you, it just doesn't look natural. It's like you're trying to force it or something." She started walking over to her table and reached for something behind it. "I knew something was up, so I had a little look through your room. It took me a while, but I eventually found this project you've been working on."

Keitaro's face turned pale when he saw the notebook Kitsune was holding; his notebook. "YOU WHAT?!!" he shrieked. Instantly, he slapped his hands over his mouth, knowing that he probably could have been heard on Mars.

"Great," Kitsune thought. "What a time for him to return to normal."

A look of curiosity suddenly appeared on Keitaro's face. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Improvising," Kitsune said. "And I suggest you do the same, since we're going to be having some company pretty soon."

---

Motoko, Shinobu and Suu, all which still in the living room, instantly recognized the voice and to whom it belonged, but it was in a tone they had not heard in a long time. Without a second thought, all of them rushed up to Kitsune's room. "What happened?!" Motoko asked. A blush instantly appeared on her face and she averted her gaze from the sight before her.

"Oh, nothing," Kitsune said, grinning in her usual way. Despite the fact that she was hiding behind Keitaro, she made it obvious that she wasn't wearing a shirt. "Nothing at all."

"Then why was Keitaro yelling like that?" Shinobu asked, this whole scene making her somewhat flustered.

"She just caught me off guard, that's all," Keitaro said, barely a trace of redness on his face. "Everything's just fine."

"Come on," Motoko said. "Let's go. This isn't something girls our age should be seeing."

"But I want to know what's going on!" Suu half-whined.

"I have a couple bananas stashed in the kitchen," Shinobu said.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Suu said, quickly losing interest in the two older people in the room. "Let's go!" Quick as a flash, she bounded out, with Shinobu following with somewhat less enthusiasm.

"I apologize for our intrusion," Motoko said, bowing before taking her leave as well.

As soon as they were alone once again, Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one," he thought. "I can only imagine what would happen if all the girls found me out all at once. Speaking of which..." "Kitsune, not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but why didn't you tell them about what I've been doing?"

"I could have," Kitsune said as she put her shirt back on. "But first, why don't you tell me how you thought all this up?"

"You know well enough that, since I got here, my life has been a living hell, what with Naru and Motoko trying to kill me every other hour. Of course, that's just the physical pain; if it was just that, I wouldn't mind it as much, but Naru adds that little something extra that makes it unbearable." Kitsune nodded, knowing what he was referring to. "After my last flight into town last week, I knew something had to be done or else I wouldn't be able to hide my torment from you girls any longer. On the way home, I passed by a bookstore and I figured that might be just the thing to distract me from my worries--I'm sure you found what I bought there."

"Yeah, your so called 'light reading'," Kitsune said.

"Right," Keitaro said. "As soon as I saw that psychology book, the wheels started turning in my head and a plan started to form. I had to know exactly how Naru felt towards me. As much as I hated it, there was only one way to do that."

"Stop being so nice to her," Kitsune said. "That must have been hard to do."

"Surprisingly enough, all I had to do was think about all she had done to me in the past and that was all I needed, but the whole time, I feared that, once I started, I wouldn't be able to stop."

"I can see where that can be a problem," Kitsune said. "But if that was what you were trying to accomplish, why are there notes on all of us in this notebook of yours?"

"Eventually, I decided to expand my horizons to include everyone. Honestly, it was more of a learning experience than I ever thought it would be."

"I should say so, considering how much you wrote in here," Kitsune said.

"Well," Keitaro said with a sigh. "It was good while it lasted. No doubt, you're going to tell everyone about this."

"Don't be so hasty," Kitsune said. "What makes you think I'll do something like that?"

"Now who's acting?" Keitaro asked. "From what I know about you, either you're going to tell them or I'll have to make some sort of deal with you to keep you quiet."

"True, that's usually the case," Kitsune said. "And it's also true that you've been pretty underhanded in the last week, but I must say that I am impressed with what you have done."

That caught Keitaro by surprise. "What?"

"I never would have thought you would do something like this and actually get away with it. I mean, you pulled off this complete change in personality and I'm the only one who got suspiscous. Sure, I gained a bit of respect for you back when this whole thing started, but finding out it was all an act only made me respect you that much more."

"Really?" Keitaro asked, who had yet to recover.

"Yes, though there is one comment I feel I need to make."

"What's that?"

"Some of your notes look a bit incomplete. I can understand this though, as no matter how close you may get to us, there are just some things that we're not going to tell you to your face."

"I kinda figured as much," Keitaro said. "But I was planning on ending it as soon as I found out whether Naru truly liked me or not."

"And until that day comes, I think you need a girl on the inside to help you out; and I'm just the one to do that."

Keitaro's face lit up. "You'd really do that?!"

"Sure," Kitsune said. "After all, I can't have someone being a sneak around here and not be a part of it, now can I? Besides, because of you, Shinobu's gotten over that confidence problem of hers. Also, just between us, I think Naru deserves the treatment you've been giving her."

The smile on Keitaro's face quickly went away. "Please don't say that," he said. "I don't know what makes me feel worse, the fact that I did what I did to her or that I did it on purpose. It pains me to see her in that state of mind." Tears started to appear in Keitaro's eyes. "I want nothing more than to comfort her; to tell her everything's going to be alright, but until I get a clear answer from her, I have to continue putting her down." He finally broke down, burying his face in Kitsune's shirt. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"

"Shh," Kitsune said, gently placing her hands on the back of Keitaro's head. "Let it all out." Inwardly, she sighed. "After all that has happened in the last week," she thought. "Deep down, he's still the same old Keitaro."

It took a couple minutes for Keitaro to regain his composure. "Thank you, Kitsune," he said, wiping away what was left of his tears. "Thank you for everything."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Kitsune asked. "Though there is still something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?" Kitsune moved uncomfortably close to Keitaro. Despite their faces being only a couple inches apart, he could still see the grin on her face that meant she was up to no good.

"Just this one thing," Kitsune said in almost a whisper, wrapping one arm around Keitaro neck and tracing circles on his chest with the other. "When were you planning to come on to me like it said in your notebook?"

By now, Keitaro's face was beet red. Until then, he had completely forgotten about that little detail. "Um, I..." was all that came out of his mouth.

End of Chapter 8

Not what you expected, was it? See you next time around. Please R&R! 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina.

"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there  
I've become so tired, so much more aware  
I'm becoming this, all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you."

-Linkin Park

Chapter 9

"Why?"

That was the one word repeating itself again and again in Naru's mind as she hurried out of the karaoke club during Keitaro's concert. She had been able to deal with Keitaro effectively turning the tables on her for the last week, but blatantly doing it in public was the last straw. The last thing she wanted then was to face said man afterwards.

When she was officially out of what she considered to be harm's way, her pace slowed considerably. "I haven't done anything to him in the last week," she thought, trying her darnedest to keep from shedding tears. "So why does he still treat me like the scum of the earth?! Even he must know how sorry I am for what I've done, but he doesn't even give the time in the day to apologize for it--much less anything else.

In a desperate attempt to get away from what her life has become, she ended up taking a page from Kitsune's playbook as she walked into the first place she could find and ordered some sake, not bothering to wonder why she wasn't carded.

"Why can't things go back to the way they used to be?" she thought as she took a few sips of her drink. "He'd do something perverted, I'd hit him, he'd apologize and everything would be right in the world." She sunk a bit lower in her seat. "Oh, who am I kidding? I've done almost nothing but make his life a living hell. I would hardly even let him plead his case!" Her tears now ran down her face, eventually making their way into her glass. "he was the only man who truly loved me... and I screwed it all up... I FORCED HIM TO HATE ME!!"

Her self-belittling thoughts were interrupted when she realized that the place she had hastily entered was the same one she and Keitaro found themselves in after failing the Tokyo U entrance exam not two months before--in fact, she was seated at the exact same table! "Oh great," she thought bitterly as the memories of that fateful day came flooding back to her. "That's the last thing I need right now."

She remembered how it felt to strive so hard, yet fall short of her goal, how Keitaro must have felt, having experienced that three times over, how the alcohol loosened each of their tongues and the resulting words that spewed forth, cutting a deep wound. The events of that day together with those of the past week let her know, physical abuse aside, what Keitaro has been forced to experience in his time at the Hinata-Sou--how she has treated him from day one.

"How could I have been so stupid?" she asked herself. "All those times, he said it was an accident; why couldn't I believe him? He kept placing the blame on himself only because Motoko and I did the same, but I deserve most of it! I'm the one who overreacts, I'm the one who's short-tempered, I'm the one who deserves to be punished... and now, after all this time, I'm finally recieving it."

She continued to consume her drink, paying little to no attention to how diluted it had become by then. To her, all that mattered was that she was able to calm herself down and regain some semblance of rational thought. "I should tell him how I really feel about him," she thought. "EVen if he still hates me, at least I would have accomplished that much--something he never had the guts to do himself to my face."

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Naru thought when she heard the familiar voice. Turning her head, her eyes fell upon none other than Kentaro Sakata. "What do you want?" she asked without making any effort to sound friendly.

"Oh come now, what kind of greeting is that?" Kentaro asked.

"One I give to someone who has no concept of the word 'no'."

"Fair enough," Kentaro said. "Hey, where's Keitaro? Isn't he usually by your side wherever you go?"

"I'd rather not talk about him right now," Naru said.

"Why not? You never seemed to mind putting him down in the past."

"I SAID--" Naru balled her fist and reared it back, but her sentence was cut short when she realized what she was about to do. She called off her attack and sank back into her depression.

Relieved and somewhat surprised that he had remained unscathed, Kentaro realized that Naru not bad-mouthing the Hinata-Sou manager was the least of his concerns. Throwing caution to the wind, he took a seat next to the downtrodden girl. "What happened?"

"I never thought it would happen," Naru said, her tone drained of all emotion. "I finally pushed Keitaro far enough that he didn't come back. Like you said, he did want to be by my side all the time, but now, he doesn't want to be within ten feet of me."

"Considering how you've treated him, I'm surprised it took this long."

"You think I didn't realize that?! I've come to terms with what I've done and I want to get back in his good graces, but he won't even let me try!"

"How are the other girls dealing with this?"

"That's just it; he's singling me out! He's all happy and friendly with the others, but looks at me like I used to do to him. Heck, I'm not even sure if they're concerned about my well being, since I've pretty much been a wreck for the last week. That's why I had to get away and why you see me here right now."

Kentaro was amazed by what he was hearing. He figured hell would freeze over before a wimp like Keitaro doing anything like what Naru was telling him. Noticing her now empty glass, he signaled the waiter for a refill and a drink for himself. Over the course of an hour and many drinks, Naru had told him every little atrocity that had been committed against her until the point came that she couldn't speak clearly anymore.

When that time came, Kentaro paid the bill and helped Naru stand up and walk out. The whole time, it looked as though her legs were Jello and that she was on the verge of passing out and it took a little while for him to get them both onto a train. He managed to get them situated in a somewhat comfortable fashion and within moments of her resting her head on his shoulder, she was out like a light. "It's hard to believe," he thought, the words riddled with pity. "To think, you've been reduced to this after losing the affection of a man you claim to have despised all this time. Whatever happened to the confident Naru I once knew?"

---

When Naru finally regained her senses, she found herself lying on cold, slightly damp ground. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she saw that she was in a glade no more than forty feet across and surrounded by a thick forest. "Where the heck am I?" she asked herself. Looking around, she found no sign of tracks that would incidate anyone having arrived or left. In the middle of her fruitless search, she heard a voice come from behind her.

"Why?"

"What?" Naru asked, turning around to find Shinobu standing a few feet in front of her. Needless to say, she was curious how the young girl seemed to appear out of nowhere. "How did you get here?"

"Why?" Shinobu repeated, completely ignoring Naru's question. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Naru asked, somewhat taken aback by the tone of Shinobu's voice and the look on her face, neither of which fit her usual cheerful, yet shy demeanor.

"Ever since Keitaro set foot in Hinata-Sou, the only one who ever cared about his health was me. Do you know who that feels, Naru? Somehow, I doubt that. You're constant abuse didn't just affect him, you know! All those punches--all the pain he has been forced to bear made me worry for his safety so much, I'm surprised my hair hasn't started turning gray by now!"

"Um, I..." Naru started to say, but was effectively rendered speechless by both what Shinobu said and how she said it.

"I can't believe I ever looked up to you," Shinobu continued, slowly walking towards Naru. "At first glance, it looks like you have everything going for you; that no matter what happens, you somehow always end up on top, but as soon as things go wrong you are seen for who you really are!"

"Wh-What are you saying?!" Naru asked, backing up in order to keep her distance from Shinobu--something she never thought she would ever feel the need to do.

"I'm saying that you're nothing more than someone who can't stand not having things go her way. To put it simply, you're a selfish brat who only thinks of herself!"

"NO!" Naru yelled, now at the edge of the forest, which, for the purposes of backing up, might as well have been a brick wall. "You're wrong!"

"Am I? Way back when, you used to act all high and mighty--you were tops in the nation in the practice exams; you looked like a shoe in to get into Tokyo U. Now look at you: A complete and utter failure. Not even the only man who ever truly loved you stayed by your side. Frankly, I think you deserve nothing less."

"Shinobu..." Naru said, tears now making themselves known in her eyes. In the past, she would have wasted no time to put all the blame for her shortcomings squarely on Keitaro, but here and now, the thought never crossed her mind. "You don't mean that. Please, tell me you don't mean that!" Much to her surprise, Shinobu's eyes were starting to tear up as well.

"You have no idea how it feels," Shinobu said, the anger in her voice beginning to falter. "To push aside your feelings for someone. It was no secret that I had a crush on Keitaro--who knows, maybe it was more than that, but I kept myself from acting on it because I thought he liked you more than he might ever like me. I thought he would be happier with you. Well, where did it get me, huh?! Nowhere! I let myself suffer so that you and him might be together and you threw it away without a care in the world! How could you do such a thing?! I wish I never met you!" With that, she started running off in the other direction.

"Shinobu, wait!" Naru called out, getting to her feet and giving chase, but Shinobu would enter the forest long before she could catch up, vanishing from sight shortly thereafter. "I've never seen her so angry at anyone," she thought. She didn't get any more time to contemplate Shinobu's rant, as she was suddenly hit in the back of the head, forcing her back onto the ground. "What the heck--?" she started to say as she turned her head to see who was now seated on her back--as if she couldn't already guess. "Why did you do that?!"

"Because I felt like it," Suu said, sporting her usual grin. "That's the only reason you ever needed, right?"

"Just because you--wait, what?!"

"At least when I hit him, he always knows it wasn't because I didn't like him or anything. I was just trying to play with him; why couldn't you play with him instead of being such a meanie all the time?"

Naru was barely listening to what Suu was saying, as she was focused more on trying to get up, but found herself unable to. For some undeterminable reason, the energrtic inventor had suddenly gained a couple thousand pounds--or at least it seemed that way. "Suu, would you get off me please?!" she asked.

"And he hardly ever complained," Suu added, not moving an inch. "Then again, he didn't complain that much when you punched him either; I just remember him apologizing a whole lot."

"Suu, leave her alone," another voice said out of nowhere.

"Aw," Suu whined. "Can't I stay just a little while longer, Motoko?"

"You heard me," Motoko said in a tone that let Suu know that negotiating was out of the question.

"Oh, alright," Suu said begrudgingly, getting off of the still struggling Naru. "Keitaro was always more fun anyway." She then skipped off into the forest, where she dissapeared just like Shinobu did moments before.

"Thank you, Motoko," Naru said with a couple groans as she got to her feet. "At least I know I can trust you to see things my--" It was at that point that she looked up to find the tip of Motoko's sword just inches from her face. "WHOA!" On instinct, she moved backward, causing her to stumble but was somehow able to keep her footing. "What are you doing?!"

"It is true that we once shared the same mindset," Motoko said, her voice emotionless as always. "But I have since been able to learn from the mistakes that I have committed--that the things that Urashima has done where not of his own design."

"You think I haven't?!" Naru asked. "I've been practically forced to learn the hard way!"

"No," Motoko said. "All you have done is run away from your problems instead of trying to overcome them. For this, disiplinary action must be taken."

"Now hold on just a--" Naru's attempt at a response was cut short when Motoko charged forward, sword poised to strike. A scream rang out as Naru was barely able to avoid being sliced in half. "I don't want to fight you, Motoko!"

"What makes you think I was expecting you to?" Motoko asked. Without missing a beat, she continued her attack.

With dexterity she never knew she had, Naru was barely able to evade each swing Motoko made until she eventually tripped over her own feet. While she lay prone, she watched Motoko leap into the air with intentions of delivering the final blow. "NO!!" Naru screamed, knowing she wasn't be able to avoid this one. She crossed her arms in front of her face in readyness for what was to come, shutting her eyes tight as well. Time slowed to a crawl and it felt like an eternity until she was finally hit by... a slight breeze.

"Huh?" Opening her eyes, Naru saw that, like Shinobu and Suu before her, Motoko had vanished without a trace. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she sat up and proceeded to catch her breath before standing up for the third time in a manner of minutes. "Okay," she said. "I am officially freaked out right now."

"Naru, Naru, Naru," yet another voice said from behind her. "You have not changed one bit."

"Oh no," Naru thought as she instantly recognized who the voice belonged to. "Not her too!" She turned around and, sure enough, she found Kitsune leaning against a tree, her arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face.

"Listen," Kitsune said, making a couple steps towards Naru. "We've been best friends for a long time, am I right?"

"Of course," Naru said, getting curious as to where Kitsune was going with this exchange of words.

"Yes, and knowing you as well as I do, I gotta say that I'm surprised it took this long for you finally get was has been coming to you."

Naru sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know what I did to Keitaro was--"

"You think I only talking about Keitaro?!" Kitsune asked, anger beginning to rise in her tone. "You've been doing this since high school! For as long as I've known you, there has been a long line of guys trying to get your attention. Not once did you ever give any of them the time of day, much less a chance for a date! After they get rejected by you, I end up taking pity on them and offer myself as sort of a rebound. Do you have any idea how many rejections I've gotten because of you turning guys down left and right?!"

"Um," Naru said, once again intimidated by a dormmate. "Not exactly."

"Well, neither do I! It's happened so many times, I lost count!"

"I guess it's a bit late for an apology," Naru said barely above a whisper.

"If it was just that, I wouldn't be making such a big deal out of this."

"You mean there's more?" Naru asked, fearing the worst.

"I'm sure you remember Seta, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Why bring him up?"

By this point, Kitsune was glaring daggers at Naru. "Shinobu's not the only one who sacrificed her feelings for your sake."

Naru's eyes opened wide. "You mean..."

"That's right! I had a crush on him and it might have been able to become something more, but as soon as you said you liked him too, I stepped to the side and let you have him and what did you do? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

"Well, he did leave all of a sudden..." Naru said in a feeble attempt at making an excuse.

"You could have at least told him how you felt or something! But no, you just had to keep getting tongue-tied until it was too late. I tried to let go of my affections for a man to help you once before, but I'm not going to allow it to happen again!"

"You're not saying..." Naru said, tears once again threatening to appear.

Without saying a word, Kitsune moved her arm as though she was putting around someone's shoulders, but the lack of someone actually being there was quickly rectified. Much to Naru amazement, in some sort of movie dissolve effect, Keitaro appeared before her very eyes, his arm already around Kitsune's waist.

"Hello, Naru," Keitaro said, all friendliness he used to have towards the redhead long since gone.

"Um, hi," Naru said weakly.

"Well?" Kitsune asked. "Don't you have something to say to him?"

"It doesn't matter," Keitaro said before Naru got the chance to speak up. "There is nothing she can say that would make any difference."

"I guess you're right," Kitsune said, her face showing a grin for the first time since her arrival. "C'mon, let's go. This place is just too depressing."

"I agree," Keitaro said.

Watching her best friend and the man she loved leave as a couple might have been bad enough for Naru, but seeing them kiss beforehand, not to mention them making sure she could see it, was too much to bear. Dropping to her knees, letting her tears fall where they may. "Keitaro... WAIT!!! I LOVE YOU!!!"

"Too little, too late!" Keitaro called back, not bothering to turn around. "You should have said that back when I would have cared!"

Naru quickly found herself alone once again. "No..." she whispered. "It can't end like this. IT JUST CAN'T!!!"

---

Naru's eyes suddenly shot open as she woke up short of breath. "Oh, thank God," she thought. "It was all just a dream; a horrible, horrible dream." On reflex, her hands went to her head as she began feeling the after-effects of all those drinks she had. "Ow, my head. How can Kitsune stand all these hangovers?"

All of a sudden, something dawned on her. "Hey, where am I?" she thought. Looking around, she saw what looked like a bedroom, but not one she had ever seen before. "How did I get here?" Her eyes fell to the bed she was laying in--and the man sleeping soundly next to her. The last thing she noticed--which probably should have been one of the first--was that all her clothes were gone. "Oh God..." she thought, tightening the grip her hands had on her head. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?"

---

And the Naru-bashing continues with a little something extra added in. See y'all next time! Please R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina. 

_I have set aside everything I love  
I have saved everything else for you  
I cannot decide what this doubt's made of  
Though I thought over it through and through_

_In a book in a box high upon a shelf  
In a locked and guarded vault  
Are the things I keep only for myself  
It's your fate but it's not your fault_

_--Barenaked Ladies_

Chapter 10

The sound of soft footfalls could barely be heard as Shinobu traveled along the hallway, stopping in front of a certain door. Almost hesitantly, she lifted her hand and knocked a couple times. It would only take a couple moments for the door to open, revealing Kitsune inside, with Keitaro seated at a table behind her.

"Hey, Shinobu," Kitsune said. "Dinner ready?"

"Yeah," Shinobu said.

"Alright," Kitsune said. "We'll be right down." She then watched Shinobu walk off. When the young cook was out of sight, she turned to find Keitaro right beside her. "You ready?"

"I think so," Keitaro said. The new partnership that had just been formed between the two brought with it some new things to consider. First on the list was making sure Keitaro's lucky streak of keeping everyone in the dark didn't end any time soon. They knew that they would have to meet with each other for updates, so in order to keep everyone's suspicions at bay, they decided to make it appear as though they were becoming an item. Hopefully, this would happen pretty easily, considering what had happened earlier in the day. Also, this might further Keitaro's cause even more, as having Naru see them together could push her that much closer to a confession.

When they reached the dining room, they saw that everyone else was already seated--well, almost everyone. "Let's eat!" Suu cheered as soon as the two new arrivals sat down.

Before Suu got the chance to devour her dinner, Motoko cleared her throat. "Before we do," she said, only the slightest hint of redness on her face. "I would like to apologize once again for barging in on you like we did."

"Don't worry about it," Keitaro said. "No harm done. Besides, you weren't really interrupting anything anyway."

This time, it was Shinobu's turn to speak up. "But when we saw you, Kitsune was--"

"Hey," Kitsune broke in. "On such short notice, it was the best thing I could come up with to get you to leave us alone for a while; obviously, it worked pretty well."

"If I may ask," Motoko said. "If you weren't doing... that... then what were you doing?"

"Nothing major," Kitsune said. "Just a little chat between friends. Right, Keitaro?"

"Yep," Keitaro said.

"Can we eat now?" Suu whined.

"Yes, of course," Shinobu replied.

"Hold on," Kitsune said. "Shouldn't we wait for Naru?"

Shinobu shook her head. "I already checked her room; she hasn't returned yet."

"What do you mean by 'she hasn't returned yet'?"

"Did you not notice that she wasn't with us when we got home?" Motoko asked.

"Apparently not. I guess my mind was too preocupied at the time. Where did she go?"

"She didn't say," Shinobu said.

"What?" Keitaro asked upon seeing the look Kitsune was giving him; whether it was for real or not he couldn't tell. "If she wants some time to herself, who am I to stop her?"

"Just answer this," Kitsune said. "Why did she need some time alone?"

Shinobu opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Keitaro. "Now's not the time," he said. "Let's just have a nice, peaceful dinner. I'm sure Naru can take care of herself, wherever she is."

"Let's dig in already!" Suu said, frustration already setting in.

Dinner that night was melancholy at best. All conversations were short lived and when the meal came to a close (after what felt like an eternity), Keitaro led Kitsune up to his room. A couple minutes later a certain two words resounded through all of Hinata-Sou for the second time in a manner of hours, but all within earshot knew it came from a different source, not to mention the reason why. Therefore, there would be no interruptions.

"YOU WHAT?!?" Kitsune yelled after Keitaro told her all that had happened at the karaoke club--including what song was involved.

"All I wanted to do," Keitaro said. "was find out how Naru would react to me doing my act in public. After seeing the result, I realize I probably should have put more thought into what song to sing."

"I don't care what you sang! You knew how emotionally fragile Naru's been lately! You should have known better than to pull a stunt like that! There's no telling what she might do in that state of mind!"

For some reason, Keitaro was unfazed by the uncharacteristically angry fox. "Hey, this is as much her fault as it is mine," he said. "If she didn't treat me like the scum of the earth at all hours of the day, payback wouldn't have been necessary."

"This isn't about payback anymore," Kitsune said. "This is turning a girl's world upside down and sending it through the shredder! I'm all for some pokes and prods, but this is too much."

"Well, I can't just stop altogether," Keitaro said. "At least not until she tells me how she feels towards me to my face."

"Will you forget this project of yours? One of your tenants is out there somewhere and you're going to go find her and bring her back before she hurts herself or worse!"

"Maybe if I waited until tomorrow and if she's not back by then--"

"NO!" By this point, Kitsune was right in Keitaro's face. "You can either leave now or I can drag you downstairs myself--and not by the arm. Take your pick."

Keitaro started to get really nervous when he saw Kitsune move her hand dangerously close to his family jewels; he knew in an instant that this was no idle threat. "Okay," he said. "I'll go. Just don't hurt me."

"Good," Kitsune said. "And just so you know, this terminates our partnership. You should be glad I'm not going to tell the others about what you've really been up to, but you had better ease up somewhat or I'll blow your cover so fast it'll make your head spin."

"Yes ma'am," Keitaro said submissively as he was finally allowed to leave the room. As he walked down the hall, he didn't have to look back to know that Kitsune was following him. When he stepped out the front door, he turned to say something, but didn't get the chance, as Kitsune had slammed the door in his face.

"Don't you think you're being a bit hard on him, Kitsune?"

Kitsune turned to find Shinobu and Motoko standing there. "Hey, a girl can only let so much happen to her best friend."

"I hope Naru's alright," Shinobu said.

"For Keitaro's sake, she'd better be," Kitsune said. "Because if she isn't, I'll make all his prior beatings combined look like a slap on the wrist. I'll bring him to within an inch of his life, invincibility be damned."

"Shinobu, let's go," Motoko said. In all honesty, she was starting to get scared of the now savage fox. "I don't think we want to be here when Keitaro comes back."

Shinobu, too frightened for words, simply nodded her head and the two quickly left Kitsune alone in the foyer with her rage.

---

Without even a thought passing through his brain, Keitaro walked down the front steps until he passed by the tea shop, where Haruka was just closing up. "Hello, Keitaro," she said.

"Hey, aunt Haruka." That was followed by the usual slap to the face.

Haruka was a bit surprised to find that Keitaro didn't even flinch. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"How long have you known Kitsune?" Keitaro asked out of the blue.

"A couple years. Why?"

"Tell me: on a scale of one to ten, what was the angriest you've ever seen her?"

Haruka pondered the question for a couple moments. "I don't know, maybe a four. Why, what is she now?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure I can count that high. See ya."

"Hold on, where are you going?"

"To find Naru. I think my life depends on it." With that, Keitaro left Haruka in a mild state of shock.

---

Meanwhile, Motoko was meditating in her room to keep the--to put it lightly--bad vibes coming from downstairs from plaguing her thoughts, with little success. "I have never seen Kitsune in such a state," she thought. "I hope Urashima finds Naru or else..." She shivered a bit at the thought of what Kitsune might be capable of. "I guess those two aren't becoming a couple after all. At dinner, I thought any chance I might have had--what am I thinking?!"

She mentally kicked herself for thinking in such a way purely out of habit, but she knew that train of thought couldn't be avoided. In the week since Keitaro first stood up to Naru, she has grown accustomed to his new persona and after watching Naru degenerate like she did, she knew that keeping one's emotions bottled up was not the way to go. And so, as hesitant as she was to do it, she had to face facts; she liked Keitaro, pure and simple.

This revelation seemed to release a burden that she has forced herself to bear for a long time and, much to her surprise, she felt a lot better having admitted her feelings, even to herself. "Urashima... Keitaro... Naru had her chance to be with you, but I promise I will not repeat her mistakes."

---

The first place Keitaro went in his search for Naru was the karaoke club where it all began. From there, he tried to figure out where she would have gone. Thinking back to the times when he felt like he had hit rock bottom, he came up with one possible solution: get drunk. Of course, considering Naru's age, this idea was significantly less likely to bear fruit.

Unable to come up with anything else that might work, Keitaro decided to simply wander around town and pray that luck would be on his side for once in his life. After a while, he saw a train station in the distance and started heading towards it, figuring he'd be able to cover more ground on the rails than on foot, but he couldn't have predicted what he would see as he got closer.

Through the crowd, he could barely see Naru and Kentaro boarding a train. "Perfect," Keitaro thought, quickly weaving his way towards them. Along the way, he noticed that Naru was barely able to stay upright, bringing his original idea back into consideration, but his brain was rooted in the here and now and his heart sank when the doors started closing. "Oh no," he thought. "Oh, please, no." Of course, the doors closed before he could get to them.

It was at that point that Keitaro's brain shut down entirely. The only thing he could do was follow the train as it left the station with his eyes. When it was out of sight, he regained conscious thought, but only enough to repeat the same four words again and again in his head: "I... am... so... dead..."

End of Chapter 10

So much for the partnership. I bet none of you expect Kitsune to be the one losing it, huh? This thing just keeps getting more and more complicated as it goes on. To be honest, this is about where I'm starting to have doubts that all the positive feedback will continue to flood in like it has. Anyway, please R&R and I'll see y'all next time around.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH. 

_Something has been taken from deep inside of me  
The secret I've kept locked away no one can ever see  
Wounds so deep they never show they never go away  
Like moving pictures in my head for years and years they've played_

_-Linkin Park_

Chapter 11

To say that Naru was in a panic would not have done her a hint of justice. Not only did she have that horrendous nightmare, but upon waking, found herself naked in bed with a sleeping Kentaro by her side. Of course, physical retribution for what could have been the only possible thing that had transpired between the two was the last thing on Naru's mind at that point.

The first thing on her list of things to do was, naturally, finding her clothes. Slowly, she got out of bed, making sure to keep as quiet as possible so as not to rouse Kentaro from his slumber. Considering it was still the dead of night, the room was quite dark, hindering her search. She ended up feeling her way around the room, but came up empty handed.

Dreading the prospect but unable to come up with any other course of action, she decided to look through other rooms of the house. As she walked along a previously unknown hallway, despite making absolutely sure nobody else was around beforehand, she was compelled to cover herself up with her arms. "Why did this have to happen?" she mentally whined. "Just when I think I have everything sorted out, something just has to screw it all up!"

As she made her way through the strange house, her gaze shifted every which way. Every door she came across could lead her to the completion of her primary objective, but if she made one wrong turn, there was no telling what might happen to her. Of course, such thoughts were most likely sparked by her newly arisen paranoia.

After what felt like an eternity of trudging through quicksand, Naru reached the laundry room. In an instant, her face lit up when she saw all her clothes there. Thanking some higher power and not bothering to wonder why her blouse and skirt were hung up as neatly as they were, she quickly got dressed and quietly went out the front door.

As soon as the door was closed, all attempts to be slealthy came to an abrupt end. Breaking out into a run, she made a mad dash to the nearest train station, leaving a trail of tears in her wake. "If only I treated him better," she wailed. "If only I wasn't to quick to blame him for every little thing, then none of this would have ever happened!" Of course, what has already been cannot not be undone. There was only one logical explanation for what had happened while Naru was passed out drunk, and she knew she had no other choice but to deal with what might result from it, but there was still one thing left for her to consider.

"I can't face them... not now," she thought as she sat down inside the first train heading for home. "There's no telling what will happen if they find out where I've been. I'd probably lose all respect they may have for me, if they haven't already. I know Keitaro wouldn't care; heck, he'd probably rub it in my face, saying how much I deserved it. (Sigh) Maybe I do deserve it--to have some guy get me drunk and have his way with me."

By now, she had her knees pressed up against her chest. Sure, there were other passengers on the train and Naru was getting a couple stares, but she wasn't aware of any of them, nor would she have cared if she was. "Oh, Keitaro..." she thought. "Why won't you let me talk to you? Why won't you let me apologize for all the things I've done to you? Why won't you let me tell you how I really feel?"

Hearing the announcement that the train was approaching her stop broke her out of her thoughts. The walk home forced her to think more about the here and now--namely how she could sneak up to her room, but every plan she came up with seemed to end up with her getting caught, being forced to relay recent events and getting procecuted for them in one fashion or another. As she passes by the tea shop, another idea makes itself known in her mind...

---

The sound of knocking on the door roused Haruka from her slumber. "Who could it be at this time of night?" she said with a groan. At first, she didn't get out of bed in the hopes that whoever was there might just give up and leave, but that would not be the case. "Alright, alright," she said, getting up and putting on a robe before coming down from her room to see who it was that had disturbed her. Opening the door, she found a teenage girl who looked like she had definitely seen better days, to say the very least. "Naru?" she asked, barely able to disguise the surprise in her voice.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, Haruka," Naru said. "May I ask you a favor?"

"Shoot," Haruka said.

"Can I stay here with you tonight?"

Haruka blinked a couple times before responding. "Stay here? But why?"

"I don't want to be a bother or anything," Naru said. "I just don't think I can handle seeing the others right now."

By now, Haruka was getting more and more curious about what would spark this turn of events. "Okay," she said, stepping inside so that Naru could enter. "You look like you need to settle your nerves. You want some tea?"

"Yes, please," Naru said, taking a seat at one of the tables. A few minutes later, Haruka joined her, bringing a fresh pot of tea with her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Haruka asked, pouring the liquid into a couple glasses.

"About what?" As if Naru didn't already know.

"How about where you've been all day?"

"Do I have to?" Naru asked.

"No, but you might feel better if you do."

"I'm not so sure," Naru said.

"What could get her to act this way?" Haruka thought. All of a sudden, she thought she heard something outside. Slowly, she made her way towards the door to see just who else could be out at this time of night.

---

After just missing Naru at the train station, Keitaro was in no hurry to get back to Hinata-Sou, and for good reason. Probably the last thing he needed was to be chewed out by Kitsune again. To be completely honest, he would rather be sent flying by a Naru punch than go through that again, mostly because from he has seen, Kitsune's methods tended to be more devious by comparison, if not more drawn out.

He was barely aware that he was even going up the front steps until he noticed the light on at the tea shop. "Why is Haruka up this late?" he thought upon seeing his aunt in the doorway. "Hello, Haruka," he said.

"Have you been out there this whole time?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah," Keitaro said with a sigh.

"So I guess you didn't find her then, huh?"

"No." Technically, that wasn't true, but to him, it wouldn't have mattered either way. "I guess I can't delay the inevitable any longer." With that, Keitaro continued on his way up the steps. Before he could even get within arm's reach of the front door, a voice called out to him.

"I see you're back," Kitsune said from somewhere in the shadows. "Sure took you long enough."

"I know," Keitaro said, not even bothering to turn his head.

"I also see that you do not have Naru with you. You understand that this cannot go unpunished, right?"

"Go ahead and tell everyone about what I've been doing," Keitaro said. "I'm not sure if I can keep up the act for too much longer anyway."

"Keeping your little secret should be your last concern," Kitsune said.

This caught Keitaro attention. "What do you mean?" he asked, finally looking in Kitsune's direction.

"What I mean is I have something very different planned for you."

Keitaro's eyes went wide when he saw what was about to happen. "You wouldn't," he said, backing up.

"A week ago, no," Kitsune said. "To be honest, I only enjoyed watching Naru and Motoko beat you as often as they did because you always bounced right back as though nothing was wrong. You weren't the only one to undergo a change--there's Shinobu, there's Naru, and because of that, there's me."

"Maybe you should think this through a bit more before--"

"No. Forcing Naru to run off to God-knows-where isn't something I'm going to tolerate, and nothing you can say is going to stop me."

"Kitsune, please..." Keitaro said, getting more and more scared with every step Kitsune took towards him...

---

When Naru first heard Keitaro's voice when he approached the tea shop, her first instinct was to run and hide, but stayed within earshot so that she could hear the short conversation he would have with his aunt--one that brought up some interesting questions that needed answering. "Haruka," she said once she was sure Keitaro couldn't hear her. "What were you two talking about just now?"

"I suppose you have a right to know," Haruka said as they sat back down at the table. "From the minute they came back this afternoon, I could tell they were starting to wonder about where you had gone. From what I can gather, when Kitsune heard of what Keitaro did, she went ballistic. A lot of yelling was involved and it ended up with him getting forced out of the house and sent to look for you, but that happened hours ago." An actual hint of concern made its way onto Haruka's face. "In my honest opinion, I think Keitaro's more scared of Kitsune now than he ever was of you or Motoko."

Naru didn't speak in response to Haruka's explanation, but her mind was going a mile a minute in an effort to digest it all. "So Keitaro was out looking for me all night," she thought as she took sips of her tea. "Not because he was worried about me, but Kitsune forcing him to do it. I've never heard of her being that mad before." That brought up the dream she had not too long ago. "Well, almost never. I guess one can only keep their temper for only so long--not that I'd know anything about that."

Her thoughts would be violently interrupted by a scream coming from the direction of the dorm. "That was Keitaro!" she said. Without another word, both Naru and Haruka rushed out to find the cause, but they wouldn't have believed it if they hadn't seen it for themselves. Before them stood none other than Kitsune wielding a metal bat, but that's not what drew their attention. What did was the sight of Keitaro laying on the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Keitaro..." Naru thought. "No..."

"You like that?!" Kitsune said, not even aware of her audience. "Maybe I should do it again for good measure." She then raised her bat and brought it down hard onto Keitaro's midsection.

"Kitsune, what in heaven's name are you doing?!" Haruka demanded.

"For the last WEEK..." Kitsune said, hitting Keitaro's left arm, effectively ignoring Haruka. "...I just STOOD BY..." Right arm. "...and let you treat Naru like CRAP!" Right leg. "Well, NOT..." Left leg. "...ANY..." Left leg again. "...LONGER!!" A third time.

"Kitsune, stop this!!" Haruka cried. Naru just looked on in silence as Keitaro screamed and writhed about in pain--more than Naru or Motoko ever inflicted on him. Both of them wanted to interfere, but in Kitsune's current state of mind, they couldn't be sure if she'd be able to discern friend from foe; they sure as heck didn't want to find out the hard way, so they stayed out of weapon's reach.

"You have no idea what it feels like to see your best friend lose all confidence in herself," Kitsune said, now standing overtop of Keitaro--as if he could have gotten away if he tried. "You are the cause of it all. Without you, everything will return to the way thing were." Following her broken logic, she raised her weapon once again, intending for the coming head shot to be the final one, but was met with unexpected resistance.

"NO!!" Motoko said, now holding the business end of the bat in her hands, effectively blocking Kitsune's attack. "I will not let you harm Urashima any longer!"

"Why do you defend him?" Kitsune asked. "He deserves to be punished for what he has done. You as much as anyone should know that."

"He doesn't deserve to die," Motoko said. "Not by your hands, nor by mine!"

"She's right!" Shinobu said. She, along with Suu and Motoko were all woken up by Keitaro's cries of agony and quickly came out to investigate. Of course, none of them could have predicted seeing him as badly beaten as he was.

"No..." Kitsune grunted as she tried to overpower Motoko, but was completely outmatched. "He... must... die!"

"Suu!" Motoko ordered. "Knock her down!"

"I'm on it!" Suu said, springing into action, landing a kick to the side of Kitsune's head--albeit with less force than her usual strikes, but it did the job nonetheless.

Before Kitsune could get back up and try to retrieve her bat (on which she lost her grip following Suu's attack), everyone was upon her, holding her in place--well, almost everyone. "How is he, Shinobu?" Motoko yelled over top of Kitsune's curses.

"Not too good," Shinobu said, a look of worry apparent on her face, and rightly so. "I'm going to go call the hospital." Standing up, she was about to do just that, but saw something fly by her, beating her inside. Even though it was dark outside and it was somewhat of a blur, she quickly recognized what it was--or rather, who. "Naru?"

End of Chapter 11

I know, this has been done before, but I hadn't planned on this little development until chapter 10 turned out like it did. Plus, I don't recall Kitsune ever being the aggressor those other times, so I guess my originality is still somewhat intact. Anyway, please R&R and I'll see y'all next time!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH. 

Yes, it has been a while, but with projects due, tests and the like, one must budget his time. Fortunately, finals are coming up, meaning no academic concerns for about three months. During that time, I hope to be updating my fics more frequently; but I'm not promising anything.

_Someone call a medic 'cause I think she's gonna strike again  
She slammed down the phone and gave the finger to the nightstand  
And holds the picture in the heart-shaped frame we bought at Target  
Yes, I guess we've got a problem, but I can't put my finger on it_

_The message on the cell says she's waiting on the call from me  
To tell her that I'm sorry; I can come back if I crawled  
But I got bad knees and I can't say that I'm sorry  
'Cept I'm sorry that I met you now my guard's up and I'm fighting dirty_

_Down for the count, over and out  
Toss in the towel 'cause she really got the best of me  
I can't hang around; she kicks while I'm down  
What was that sound? I just wish the f-ing bell would ring_

_Bowling For Soup_

Chapter 12

"Keitaro..." Naru could only stand there in shock as Kitsune gave Keitaro the worst beating in his life--which is saying quite a bit, all things considering. Every strike, every cry of pain seemed to echo in her mind. She could hear Haruka yell something, but to Naru, her elder's voice sounded distant and distorted to the point that she couldn't understand what was said.

"No..." For Naru, probably the most shocking thing about the whole scene was how ferocious Kitsune was being. Granted, herself and Motoko have been in similar states of mind more times than she can count, but most of those examples end in one-hit wonders, giving them time enough to calm down while they waited for Keitaro's return from wherever they sent him. This time however, Keitaro was forced to stay and get pummeled time and again.

Naru continued to look on in silence as Kitsune swung for the fences a sixth... seventh... eigth time before Motoko appeared almost out of nowhere to prevent the ninth. Thanks to some fancy footwork from Suu, the massacre was finally brought to an end. It was at this point that Naru was unable to watch any longer. Quickly, she made a beeline for the front door, but she didn't go unnoticed.

"Naru?" Shinobu said in almost a whisper as she looked up from checking Keitaro's wounds. "Was that realy her?"

"Shinobu, what are you waiting for!" Motoko yelled as she, Suu and Haruka kept the still raging fox restrained.

"Oh, right," Shinobu said, remembering what she was about to do before she was momentarily distracted. Without another moment's hesitation, she ran inside and called 9-1-1 (or at least the Japanese equivalent).

After a couple of rings, someone picked up on the other end. "Hello, emergency hotline."

"We need an ambulance here right away!" Shinobu said.

"Alright, I need you to tell me where you are."

"I'm at the Hinata-Sou apartments!" Shinobu said. "Hurry, our landlord needs help badly!"

"Ok, we'll get an ambulance there as soon as we can."

"Thank you!" As soon as Shinobu hung up, she rushed back outside to see if the situation has improved. Kitsune was still struggling to break free, but has tired to the point that only Suu was needed to keep her in line, leaving Haruka and Motoko free to examine Keitaro.

"Well, he's still alive and breathing," Haruka said. "That's a start."

"Keitaro..." Motoko said, not even trying to hold her emotions back. "This cannot be happening--it just can't!"

"Everything's going to be alright, Motoko," Haruka said, trying to be comforting. However, on the inside, she was just as worried for Keitaro's health as anymore; perhaps more.

"No!" Motoko said, looking Haruka straight in the eye. "Everything's not alright--far from it!" She turned her gaze back to Keitaro who, at this point, was unresponsive. "If only I had known..."

"Hey," Haruka said. "If it wasn't for you, things would have turned out much worse than they did. For all we know, Keitaro would have died if Kitsune had connected with that head shot. You saved his life, Motoko."

"You don't understand," Motoko said. "After Kitsune's tirade this afternoon, I should have seen this coming. I could have prevented all this from happening. Why did I let this happen!"

"You're not at fault, Motoko," Shinobu said.

"Why shouldn't I be!" Motoko said, tears now threatening to fall down her face. "This was a time where he needed me the most and I let him down. I failed him."

"No..." Everyone's attention quickly turned to the injured manager as he tried to speak. "Don't blame yourself."

"Keitaro, you need to conserve your strength," Motoko said.

Keitaro slowly shook his head. It was probably the only part of him he could move without causing extreme pain. "I couldn't find Naru. Why else do you think I would stay out as late as I did? I dreaded what Kitsune would have done, and rightly so it seems."

"Keitaro..." Shinobu whispered, somehow able to keep her tears on the inside.

"Whatever happens to me," Keitaro continued, his voice becoming increasingly strained. "Just remember... we're all responsible for our own..." That was when he lost consciousness.

By now, a stream of tears had blazed a trail down Motoko's face. Her actions up to this point might have gotten a bigger reaction from those around her, had there not been a more pressing matter present. "Why did this have to happen?" she thought. "Oh, who am I kidding? What with everything Naru and I put him through, something like this should haave happened sooner. We're as much at fault for this as Kitsune. At least her reasons were justified; more than I can... can..."

Seeing Motoko begin to break down further, Shinobu decided to try her hand at the comforting role. "Haruka's right," she said. "Keitaro has been hurt in the past and he always bounced back. I'm sure this time will be no different."

"I'm not so sure," Motoko said, at least making an attempt to regain her composure. "I am well aware that, among Suu, Naru and myself, he has been hit more times than I care to count, but it was never done all at once."

Shinobu found herself forced to resign to Motoko's reasoning. She admitted to herself that what had just occurred was the equivalent to two to three regular days in the life of the Hinata-Sou landlord.

From that point on, the group waited patiently for the ambulance to arrive. Despite how much they wanted to, they refrained from trying to resuscitate Keitaro from fear of making his condition worse than it already was. Had it not been for his track record in regard to injuries, they would have been that much more worried.

After the paramadics had Keitaro on a stretcher and wheeled away, a voice could be heard for the first time since the aftermath. "May I get up now?" Kitsune asked. Suu looked at Haruka, who gave her the go ahead, so she got off the fox, allowing her to get to her feet. Within moments of this, she was face to face with a still upset swordswoman.

"If you know what's good for you," Motoko said. "You'll explain to all of us why you did this."

Despite Motoko's threat, Kitsune did not so much as flinch. She had calmed down long ago and, apparently, saw the question coming a mile away. Therefore, she had an answer ready and waiting. "Aside from today, when was the last time you saw me angry?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Motoko asked.

"Just humor me."

With some reluctance, Motoko gave the matter some thought--and the results came as a bit of a surprise. "I can't come up with anything." She turned to the others. "Can you?" The agreement was unanimous.

"That's right," Kitsune said. "That's not to say things do not upset me, I am just better at keeping my temper in check than you or Naru. For years now, I have been holding myself back, but when Keitaro told me what he did at the karaoke club this afternoon, it sent me to the point of no return; and when he finally came back empty handed... well, you saw what happened."

"I guess that makes some sense," Shinobu said.

"Listen," Kitsune said. "I am not proud of what I did. I was merely concerned about Naru."

"Speaking of which," Haruka said, looking around. "Where did she go?"

"What do you mean?" Motoko and Kitsune said in unison.

"About five minutes before Kitsune's ambush, Naru came to see me."

"She did!" both Kitsune and Motoko said.

"So that really was her," Shinobu muttered.

"What was that?" Haruka asked.

"I thought I saw her run inside just before I called for the ambulance."

Haruka sighed. "She must be taking all this harder than any of us." She then walked inside, closely followed by everyone else.

"Um," Shinobu said as they passed through the living room. "Why did Naru go to see you?"

"Yeah, I was wondering that myself," Kitsune added.

Haruka shook her head. "She didn't get to say much, but from the way she looked, something definitely happened to her while she was gone. She was so reluctant to tell me anything, I can only imagine what would happen if she came into contact with any of you."

"So she opted to go to you first and foremost," Motoko noted.

"What could have happened to make her not want to talk to us?" Kitsune asked, more to herself than anyone else. "To talk to me?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself," Haruka said. "But I don't think she'll give you much of an answer." By that time, they had reached the door to Naru's inner sanctum. "Let me go in first," she whispered. "For now, stay out of sight."

Upon seeing the girls nod in agreement, Haruka slowly opened the door. "Naru?" she said. "Are you in here?" Looking inside, she noticed the pale moonlight filtering in room, illuminating the lone figure therein.

Naru sat on her futon, clutching her Liddo-kun doll to her chest so tightly it might have put Suu to shame. She looked as disheveled as ever as she cried her eyes out. All in all, it was a very depressing sight. When she heard Haruka's voice, she opened her eyes and glanced in the older woman's direction briefly before turning her back completely. "Don't look at me," she sobbed.

"You wanted to talk to me," Haruka said, slowly walking towards the distraught girl. "You have a second chance."

"It's my fault..." Naru whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Haruka asked, not entirely sure what Naru said.

"It's my fault K... Kei... he got assaulted again. I'm responsible."

"Don't say that," Haruka said, now sitting next to Naru. "You're not to blame for this."

"Any why not!" Naru said, turning to face Haruka. "Since the day we met, I have been causing him pain." She looked down at the floor. "Even when I'm not around, I'm the source of his injuries. No matter what happens, he gets hurt because of me."

"Listen," Haruka said. "You know as well as anyone that no matter what happens to Keitaro, he always recovers."

"That's not the point! All this time, he seemed to have taken everything Motoko and I dealt to him in stride, but not anymore. Now, he has shown his hatred for me. He won't even let me try to apologize for what I've done; to try to make things right; to say that I... I..." She then buried her face in Haruka's shirt, resuming her crying, thereby continuing her emotional downfall.

"In the morning, we're going to see Keitaro at the hospital to see how he's doing," Haruka said after a while. "There, I think you'll get your chance to say what you need to, but until then, I think you should get some rest. Can you do that for me?"

"I think so," Naru said, somewhat meekly.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." Haruka got up and slowly walked out, only stopping at the door to look back at Naru, who was settling into her futon. When she left, closing the door behind her, she was immediately faced by the other girls. "What are you standing around for? Off to bed with you."

"You expect us to sleep after what just happened!" Kitsune said.

"Yes, I do," Haruka said point blank. "And depending on Keitaro's injuries, you should consider yourself lucky if he doesn't press charges." That shut the fox up.

"But weren't you going to ask Naru where she was all night?" Shinobu asked.

Haruka shook her head. "I don't think now's the time. We'll ask tomorrow after we get back from the hospital. Hopefully, she'll be more rational by then." She then walked off, muttering something under her breath.

"Haruka is right. We have done all we can at this point," Motoko said, glaring at Kitsune at that last part.

Somewhat hesitantly, everyone went off to their respective rooms, where they drifted off to sleep. Naturally, considering recent events, it did not come easily.

End of Chapter 12

Yes, I know this one didn't have too much to it, but consider it more like a transition than anything else. My plans has this fic only lasting a couple more chapters, which means you will not have to wait too long to answer the still burning questions you may have. Until then, please R&R!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH. 

_Nothing ever stops all these thoughts and the pain attached to them.  
Sometimes I'm wondering why this is happening.  
It's like nothing I can do will distract me when I think of how I shot myself in the back again.  
'Cause from the infinite words I can say, I Put all the pain you gave to me on display,  
But didn't realize, instead of setting it free, I Took what I hated and made it a part of me._

_You've become a part of me; you'll always be right here.  
You've become a part of me; you'll always be my fear.  
I can't separate myself from what I've done.  
You've become a part of me; I let myself become you._

_--Linkin Park_

Chapter 13

For all involved, morning could not come soon enough. As is usually the case, Motoko was the first to wake up, but she was in no hurry to get out of bed. The pain she has been feeling in her heart as of late has far from subsided. In fact, it seemed to have gotten more intense since the events of the previous night. Despite understanding and eventually accepting she was going on inside her, it did little to numb the sensation. All this would conspire to keep her in her room, as opposed to heading up to the roof and perform her morning excercises. Therefore, in an attempt to clear her cluttered mind, she opted to meditate. Whether or not she attains the desired effect has yet to be determined.

"Rage," she thought. "Such a horrible feeling, yet one I have allowed myself to be subject to more times than I can count. For years, I have prided myself as being able to control my emotions. What a fool I have been. All this time, I have continued to deal pain to... him under a false sense of justice. Despite this, he does not hold a grudge. I cannot fathom a reason why he did not turn against me like he did to Naru. Perhaps this is what 'kill with kindness' means. Certainly, he has been kinder to me than I ever deserved..."

The next one to wake up would be Shinobu. Following her daily routine with hardly a thought, she got dressed and headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast. All the while, her mind was still stuck in the past. Hearing violent sounds was not new by any stretch of the imagination, but seeing her former Sempai recieving the most savage beating she had ever seen--and by Kitsune of all people!--was something else alltogether. The whole scene might have been a traumatizing experience for her...had she not been living at Hinata-Sou for as long as she has. Regardless, she did not know how long it would be until she could get those images out of her mind, but she had a feeling she could never look at Kitsune the same way ever again...

In the aftermath of what she had done, guilt began to take its toll on Kitsune's heart. Eventually, it came to a point where it drove her to... not drink. Because of this, for the first time in quite a while, she woke up the next morning without a hangover. For her, this was like a breath of fresh air--and in more ways than one. Unlike Naru and Motoko, who both have had no problems whatsoever in expressing their anger, Kitsune has kept it all bottled up inside since high school. At one point, she sought out alcohol in an attempt to forget everything, and it quickly developed into a habit she still carries to this day.

Even though she regretted what she did, she had to admit that she felt better than she had in years. It was as though lead weights have been removed from her ankles, wrists and neck. Besides, the target of her pent up aggression has never been known to be on the disabled list for long, so she figured everything would turn out for the best.

"Breakfast is ready."

"I'll be right down." Kitsune immediately recognized Shinobu's voice--and also the absense of her usual cheerfulness. "It's not like I don't know why," she thought as she headed for the dining room. Along the way, she could only imagine how she would be recieved by her dormmates when she got there. Upon arrival, she saw everyone else, Haruka included, in attendance. "Morning all," she said, getting their attention. Right away, she noticed the looks they were giving her; ranging from apprehension to fear to anger. "Go ahead, I deserve it."

"Why did you do it?" Shinobu asked as soon as Kitsune sat down at the table.

"What would you have done if someone made your best friend run off to God-knows-where?" Kitsune also knew the exact reason behind Keitaro's actions, but she opted not to mention that part. "After keeping my anger in check for as long as I have, it was bound to be dangerous when it came out all at once. Now I know how you two must have felt all this time." Naru and Motoko found themselves unable to respond, looks of shame readily apparent on their faces.

"I just hope Keitaro's going to be alright," Shinobu said.

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Haruka said. "We've all known him long enough to know that he's one to recover quickly."

"That's right," Kitsune said. "After everything that's happened to him since he first walked through that door, something like this won't keep him down for long." Naru and Motoko sank even lower in their chairs, knowing they were responsible for most of it.

"I hope not," Shinobu muttered.

Breakfast came and went in relative silence. Even Suu took her time in consuming her meal. When they finished, they immediately set out for the hospital and inquired about the beloved manager's whereabouts.

"Urashima..." the receptionist muttered as she typed on her computer. "Ah, here we are. Right now, he's scheduled to have an X-ray taken. As soon as he is finished, the doctor will come and show you to his room. Until then, please have a seat."

While in the waiting room, minutes seemed to go by like days. The entire group was completely silent, but as time went by, they got more and more restless. About when they were at wit's end, a man entered, talking briefly with the girl at the front desk before approaching them. "Hello," he said. "I am Dr. Sakamoto. If you will come with me, I'll take you to see Keitaro."

"Tell me," Naru said, no longer able to remain silent. "How is he?"

"Well," Dr. Sakamoto began. "When he first came in, I saw deep bruising in his midsection and all four limbs. Upon further analysis, I discovered some internal bleeding, cracks in both humeri and a broken left femur. In my personal opinion, it looks as though he had been beaten with a blunt instrument." The girls glared at Kitsune after his explanation, but he didn't take notice of it.

"Is he going to be alright?" Shinobu asked.

"I can't say. He just came out of X-ray a couple minutes ago and I have yet to see them. Trust me, once I know, you'll know."

"Thank you," Haruka said.

It was about that time that they arrived at their destination. "He may still be a bit tired," the doctir informed them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to."

As the doctor walked off, the girls decided amongst themselves as to who would go in first. Considering she was family, Haruka won the vote rather easily. Within moments of entering, she spotted Keitaro laying on the bed, watching television. Upon hearing the door open, he turned his gaze to see who his visitor was and his face lit up when he saw his aunt. "Hey, Haruka!" he said cheerfully, waving at her--or at least as much as his current situation would allow. The extent of his injuries was illustrated by the heavy bandadges on the upper half of both arms and the cast on his left leg.

"So, how are you feeling?" While Haruka spoke, the others started filing in, one by one.

"Pretty good I guess, all things considering," Keitaro said. The smile on his face vanished the instant he spotted Kitsune. "Or at least I was."

For her part, Kitsune was not surprised in the least by the sight of Keitaro flinching in her presence. "It's not like I deserve anything less," she thought.

"Don't you have something you need to say to him?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah," Kitsune said. "Keitaro, I'm sorry. I never thought my anger would get so out of control."

"What's done is done," Keitaro said. "Besides, I'm just seeing this as fate making up for lost time."

"Don't say that!" Shinobu said. "You don't deserve this! You never did!"

"That may have been true once before," Keitaro thought. "But now, it's a different story. All along, I knew there was a line I had to look out for, but I didn't know where that line was until I had already crossed it."

Shinobu quickly noticed Keitaro's down expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"Don't worry about it," Keitaro said. "It could have been a whole lot worse had... someone not come to my aid." His gaze met that of a certain swordswoman.

"You mean..." Motoko said, her face turning a shade or two of red. "You saw me--"

"Keep Kitsune from breaking the home run record?" Keitaro finished. "Yeah, I did." Also, because of where she stood during her rescue, he got a good look up her nightshirt, but he wasn't about to bring that up; not now, not ever. "You saved my life back there. Thank you."

Motoko wanted nothing more than to show Keitaro just how much his gratitude meant to her, but she was able to hold herself back, knowing that this was neither the time nor the place for a public display of affection.

"You won't be much fun with this thing on your leg," Suu said, poking at Keitaro's cast.

"Don't worry," Keitaro said. "I'm sure I won't be laid up for too long." He motioned for her to come closer. "But until then," he whispered. "You can always play with the others. Just promise you you'll go easy on them, okay?"

"Okay!" Suu said, giggling. For the others, this was definitely a cause for concern.

For the remainder of the Hinata Girls' visit, they made efforts to make Keitaro's stay at the hospital more comfortable. In what seemed like no time at all, Dr. Sakamoto returned, a curious look on his face. "Did you find something wrong on my X-Rays?" Keitaro asked.

"Far from it," Dr. Sakamoto said. "In fact, what I saw was nothing short of miraculous. Both of your arms appear to have healed completely and all that is left of your leg injury is a hairline fracture. Honestly, I have never seen such a thing in my career."

"That's our Keitaro," Kitsune said. "We should have expected nothing less."

For some reason, the doctor thought it best not to ask questions. "At his current rate, he should be cleared to go home by tomorrow."

"That's wonderful," Keitaro said. "I look forward to it." He then tried to stifle a yawn, failing miserably. "But for now, I think I'll get some sleep."

"I think it's about time we headed back anyway," Haruka said. "Call me when he's ready to go."

"Will do," the doctor said.

Quite unceremoniously, everyone took their leave... with one exception. The entire time she was there, Naru stayed in the background, not saying a word. At one point, her eyes met with Keitaro's. Even though it was only for a split second, she could see what his eyes held within them: nothing. No animosity, no adoration, no emotion whatsoever. From her perspective, it was as though the slate was being wiped clean--at least to a point--and that this was probably the best she could have hoped for. "Well," she thought, sighing inwardly. "It's now or never."

Slowly, Naru approached Keitaro's bed. "Keitaro, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"What's stopping you?" Keitaro asked. "As if I ever could."

"Please don't make this harder than it already is!" Naru's mind pleaded. "I know you can't forgive me for what I have done to you in the past, but I have to tell you that I... I... love you; and have been for a while. All this time, I've never been able to admit it to myself, much less anyone else. I couldn't keep all these emotions inside, so I took every reason I could find to force them out--most of them involving sending you across town. However, each time, the feelings just came back stronger than before.

"After you turned your back on me, I forced myself to face facts--and not just about my feelings towards you. I also had to cope with a harsh reality. No matter how much I cared for you, no matter how I yearned for us to be together, I knew that all I could offer you was pain. You may find the girl that's right for you someday, it just won't be me; and I have to live with that. I hope that you can find it in your heart to see me in a better light someday, but I won't blame you if that never happens. I'll see you when you get back to Hinata-Sou."

Keitaro didn't speak a word after Naru left, but his mind was anything but. "Mission accomplished," he thought. "...For what it's worth..."

End of Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14

I own no part of LH. 

Okay, nothing personal, but you people have no patience whatsoever. Keep in mind that if you rush me, you may not like what you end up with. As for those of you who complained about the so-called ending (you know who you are), I hope this proves that the story's not over until I say it is. Anyway, this chapter will resolve issues brought up back in chapter 9.

_I don't feel any shame, I won't apologize  
When there ain't nowhere you can go  
Running away from pain when you've been victimized  
Tales from another broken home_

_---Green Day_

Chapter 14

The girls were deathly silent as after leaving Keitaro's hospital room. Even Suu found herself in quiet contemplation. All were relieved that their landlord's injuries would not be lasting ones, but were still saddened that they had been inflicted on him in the first place--some more so than others. It wasn't until they reached the waiting room that the silence was finally, if not mercifully broken.

"I'm glad Keitaro's going to be alright," Shinobu said somewhat timidly. Hearing that, one could almost say that she had lost all the confidence she had gained since confessing and eventually dealing with her fealings for her sempai. Almost.

"We all are, Shinobu," Haruka said, her voice as devoid of emotion as ever. "We all are." It was at this time that the (as much as she would be loathe to admit it) elder amongst them noticed something amiss. "Where's Naru?"

Everyone looked around to find that, sure enough, Naru had indeed gone M.I.A. "I'll go look for her," Kitsune volunteered, heading off back the way they came. "As if I don't know where she is," she thought. She would not even return to Keitaro's room, as she would meet with her quarry en route. She searched for words that did not make her sound presumptuous, failing miserably. Fortunately, Naru answered her question before she asked it.

"I said what I came here to say," Naru said.

It took Kitsune a moment to realize that Naru had walked right by her, not even pausing when she spoke, forcing her to rush a bit to catch up. Not another word was spoken between the two as they rejoined the group. During this time, Kitsune saw that, while Naru did not look happy or cheerful by any stretch of the imagination, she not longer appeared dead to the world. It seemed as thought a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It didn't take long for Kitsune to figure out what that might have been.

After what felt like an eternity, they returned home, but for reasons they were all aware of, Hinata-Sou seemed empty. They also knew that, for at least the next twenty-four hours, is was going to remain that way.

"Listen," Haruka said. "I have to go open up the shop. I want you all to promise me that you won't fall apart while Keitaro's gone. Can you do that for me?" None of the girls said anything, but all of them nodded. Haruka figured that was the best response she was going to get. "Alright. As soon as the doctor calls, I'll let you know, but I think it would be for the best if I went to pick him up by myself. Do I make myself clear?" Another collective nod. "I'll see you then."

After Haruka left, the girls started to go about their own business, albeit with an obvious lack of enthusiasm. However, none of them would even get past the living room.

"Hey, guys," Naru said, stopping everyone in their tracks. "I know you all were worried about me yesterday and I think it's about time I told you what happened." The reason behind this was that she knew she would have to explain her absence sooner or later, and since she was more rational that morning--for more reasons than one--she felt this was as good a time as any.

While everyone was getting themselves situated, Naru prepared herself to recall the events of the previous day. She knew well enough that bringing back such unpleasant memories wasn't going to be easy, but then again, life at Hinata-Sou rarely was.

"Well," Nary began. "After leaving the karaoke club, I wanted nothing more than to leave all my problems behind; I didn't much care how."

Having gone through that routine more times than she can count, Kitsune knew exactly what Naru was referring to, but hoped it was otherwise. "Please, tell me you didn't..."

Naru nodded. "I did, but I was so consumed in my own thoughts that I barely got through one glass." That statement made the fox more at ease, but it would be short lived. "Most of that time was spent purging my negative emotions. By the time I finished that one drink, I had a plan of action laid out, but fate would intervene in the form of one Kentaro Sakata."

"Remind me," Kitsune said. "Who is he again?"

"He is the one currently working at the tea shop to pay for the damages he caused," Motoko said.

"Oh yeah, the guy who's practically slave labor."

"And also who's been trying to win my affection since the day he and I first crossed paths," Naru added. "Anyway, he asked what I was doing and why Keitaro wasn't there worshipping the ground I walk on. Over a few rounds, at his expense, I told him every atrocity Keitaro committed against me in the last week, regardless of how justified they may have been."

Naru managed a weak smile. "I guess it wouldn't take a genius to know that I can't handle alcohol like you can, Kitsune, so it didn't take too long for me to become incoherant. Kentaro helped me to a train station where, within seconds of boarding, I was out like a light. Even now, I'm still not sure if I passed out or fell asleep."

Motoko's hand strayed to where her sword would have been but wasn't, since the hospital did not allow weapons and she did not get the chance to retreive it before Naru's announcement. "How dare he aid in the intoxication of a minor!" she said, standing up and heading off in the direction of her room, intent on getting her weapon of justice and punishing someone who, for a change, actually deserved it, but she wouldn't even reach the stairs.

"Motoko, stop," Naru said. "It's not his fault. It was my idea to get drunk in the first place. All he did was foot the bill." Everyone was surprised to hear this, as they figured Naru more than anyone would want to see Kentaro on the receiving end of a beatdown, if only as payback for what happened to Keitaro because she wasn't there to prevent Kitsune from blowing her top.

"Even if I had passed out on the train," Naru continued. "It must have become sleep at some point, if the dream I had was any indication..." Naru then explained her nightmare in vivid detail. She described how, one by one, everyone, expressed their abhorrence for her actions of the recent and not-so-recent past. As she neared the ending, she became more and more emotional. "...And then..." she sobbed. "You two shared a kiss and left me alone... alone till the end of... of..." Finally losing it, she buried her face in Kitsune's shirt. "I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "I never meant to make you all hate me like this!"

For a moment, the others just sat there, shocked at what they may be capable of. Perhaps the only ones exempt from this were Suu, for whom it was just par for the course, and Kitsune, only because of her recent tirade.

"That's not true," Kitsune said, hoping she was speaking for everyone. "We don't hate you."

"It IS true!" Naru said. "All I'm ever good for is causing problems for everyone. You should know that better than anybody."

"Uh..." In a rare turn of events, Kitsune was at a loss for words. Naru's argument caught her off guard and left her without a way to counter it. Looking around the room, she silently pleaded for the others to help back her up.

Motoko quickly took the initiative. "You speak as though you are the only girl forced to bear emotional stress. That could not be farther from the truth, even among your friends. What you have had to go through is known especially by Shinobu and myself."

"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked, not quite catching on.

"In recent days, she has had to face unrequited love," Motoko said. "How long did you have to endure it?"

"I see," Shinobu muttered, nodding in understanding.

"As for me..." Motoko seemed somewhat reluctant to continue, illustrated by the increasing redness of her face. "Well, Naru is not the only one who has done some soul searching in regards to matters of the heart. Let us just leave it at that, shall we?"

The others were awestruck. Never before had they heard, nor did they ever expect such an admission from someone as set in her ways as Motoko. The look on her face--not to mention the blush that apparently refused to leave-- signified that the path to the revelation was no doubt rife with obstacles, most of which of her own creation. Despite all this, there was one thing her expression did not possess: shame. Whatever it took for her to come to terms with her own feelings, it was not something she would willingly undo any time soon.

For their part, the other girls did not inquire about the subject of Motoko's newly accepted affection was. This was mostly because one, it was already established that the swordswoman did not wish to speak of it further, and two, they already had a pretty good idea as to who it was. Everyone found themselves so involved in this, they briefly forgot their original train of thought.

"Um..." Shinobu started. "This might sound awful, but What were we talking about again?"

"Oh yeah," Kitsune said. "Naru was describing that dream she had."

Almost imperceptibly, Naru flinched. For her, that day--that week would be better left forgotten. However, she knew that if she did not speak up, the issue may remain in everyone's minds, unresolved for a long time to come.

"Well," Naru continued, openly dreading what might ensue at the conclusion. "When I woke up from my nightmare, I found myself in what I can only assume was Kentaro's house--and his bed."

Seeing the uproar coming, Shinobu tried to stop it before it started. "That was nice of him."

"What do you mean, nice?" Kitsune asked. "He got her drunk and took her to his house."

"And he could have had her sleep on the couch," Shinobu countered with aggression non of the girls, herself included, knew she had. "But he didn't. He sacrificed his own comfort for her."

"Not exactly," Naru said. "He was in bed with me."

"Well..." Shinobu rolled that information around in her head a bit. "I wouldn't want to wake up alone in a strange place, would you?"

"I suppose not."

"Why are you defending Kentaro?" Motoko asked.

"Because not everything is the worst-case scenario," Shinobu responded. "You of all people should know that." That shut the swordswoman up.

"There's one more thing," Naru said. "I was... naked." A moment of uneasy silence followed.

"Well?" Kitsune asked. She, along with the others, turned to who had become the voice of reason. "Try and rationalize that."

"Uh..." Shinobu's mind scrambled to find some way to make it appear in a better light, but came up empty. "I guess you would have to ask him," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I was hoping you would say that," Motoko said, once again heading up to her room. This time around, nobody tried to stop her.

---

For Kentaro, that morning seeming like any other, mostly because he was unaware of his recently appointed position on death row. Perhaps the only thing that was amiss was that Naru was not there. He had hoped that he'd have a talk with her over breakfast, but apparently, that was not to be. He could only make assumptions as to where she had gone, but since he was going that way anyway, he figured his original plan wasn't entirely shot. Little did he know what would befall him while there.

As he approached the tea shop, he saw Haruka there, opening it for business. This in itself was a rarity, as she usually had it up and running a couple hours prior to his arrival. It was possible that she could have overslept, but there was a better chance of the world coming to an end. He decided not to call attention to it. "Hello, Haruka," he said.

Haruka's only response came in the form of a cursory glance before heading inside. This struck Kentaro as strange, as he had gotten accustomed to her usual "get to work" style of greeting. By the time he got himself situated, he was ninety-five precent sure there was something troubling her. He kept this to himself, as prying into one's boss's personal life is never the wisest thing to do.

His mind quickly turned to Naru and the conversation they had the previous day. He considered it hard to believe that Keitaro--whom, in his opinion, had a weak mind and a spine to match--could ever do the things she described to him. Despite this, he couldn't help but believe her. Granted, she has been one to blow things out of proportion on many occasions--most of which result in giving Keitaro a one-way flight into town--but making up something as major as a complete reversal of fortune in regards to affection received would be a bit much, ever for her.

Kentaro was so engrossed in the combination of his thoughts and his work, he was unaware of someone entering the tea shop, nor did he notice the visitor speak briefly with Haruka, who then pointed in his general direction. In retrospect, he wished he had been more attentive. Turning around, he suddenly found himself face to blade with Motoko. With a yelp he reeled, slamming his back into a counter.

"You're coming with me," Motoko said, not wasting any time at all.

"A-Are you sure?" Kentaro stuttered. "I mean, I still have work to--"

"Haruka was kind enough to let us borrow you for a while," Motoko said. "Now move. You will not be told twice."

Without a second thought--and maybe a first--Kentaro started walking toward the door. As he passed by Haruka, he wordlessly pleaded to her for salvation, or at least an explanation for his summons, but was met by another glance and nothing more. He would not get a second chance, as Motoko was prodding his forward like a cow to the slaughter.

As Kentaro trudged up the steps, he became even more concerned by one word that stuck in his mind: borrow. The issue it brought forth was not if, but when he would return, and in how many pieces. Despite, or perhaps because of his mounting fear, he dared not speak.

When he entered the living room, he found the other girls already there, staring right at him. If looks could kill, the resulting carnage would make Texas Chainsaw Massacre look like Hamtaro.

"Sit down," Motoko said, shoving Kentaro toward the couch, where he was flanked by Suu and Shinobu. Kitsune and Naru sat in chairs to his left and right respectively, and Motoko took a seat at the table directly in front of him.

"What do you all want with me?" Kentaro asked, his eyes shifting nervously.

"It's simple, really," Kitsune said, her arms crossed. "You're going to tell us a little story."

"What kind of story?" Kentaro asked.

Naru got straight to the point. "We want you to explain what you did to me last night."

Kentaro was stunned. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I didn't do anything."

"Cut the crap!" Kitsune said. "Naru told us how you two crossed paths. It's time for you to fess up and take what's coming to you."

"The way I see it," Motoko said. "You currently have three strike against you. If you can explain your actions, you may save yourself a fate worse than death. Are you ready to defend yourself?"

"Sure," Kentaro said, suddenly relieved that he was attending his trial and not his execution. "I have nothing to fear, since I'm innocent of whatever it is you're accusing me of."

"We'll see," Kitsune said. "First question: Why did you take Naru ti your house and not here?"

"Self-preservation," Kentaro said. "I don't even want to think about what Motoko would have done to me if I brought her in passed out drunk."

"That makes sense," Motoko said, trying to be impartial. In her de facto role as judge, it was more or less a requirement. Indeed, everyone present was considering the possible outcome if that scenario had come to pass. However, in the minds of the girls, the one dishing out punishment was not Motoko, mostly because it would be happening during Kitsune's period of enragement--no pun intended.

"Okay," Kitsune said. "Second question: Why was Naru in bed with you?"

"What, you expect me to just leave her on the couch or something?" Kentaro asked. "I don't have to be callous just because I'm a man."

Shinobu couldn't help but grin as she heard this, knowing her prediction just came to fruition.

"This morning," Kentaro continued, turning to Naru. "I intended to talk to you about this whole Keitaro mess, but when I woke up, you were nowhere to be found."

"Which brings us to the final issue that needs to be settled," Kitsune said. "No matter how much you try to make it look like you were being comforting, that is no excuse for stripping her naked in her sleep." She balled her fists. "So help me God, if you raped her, I'll--"

"Hold on," Kentaro interrupted. "Is that what you think I did! You've got it all wrong!"

"Do I?" Kitsune said, obviously not convinced. "If you're so confident, then why don't you enlighten us?"

"So this is what they brought me in for," Kentaro thought. He took a deep breath before speaking aloud. "When I got home yesterday, I immediately put Naru in bed and went on with my business, assuming she would not be waking up any time soon. The time eventually came for me to catch some Z's myself... and that's when fate threw a curve ball."

The girls were all hanging on Kentaro's every word--the majority of which eagerly awaiting his confession to crimes accused or otherwise.

"When I entered my room," Kentaro continued after a brief pause. "Naru was writhing about on the bed. I can only imagine what kind of dream you were having, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't pleasant. Upon further inspection, I saw that she was practically sweating buckets, completely soaking her clothes. I did the first thing that came to mind, not giving any thought to the possible consequenses."

"So you took off her clothes, just like that?" Motoko asked.

"Would you rather I let her freeze overnight?" Kentaro asked, his confidence growing as he went along. "And I did what I felt was necessary, I hung up her clothes in the laundry room and went back to bed. Next thing I knew, it was morning and Naru was gone."

"Oh please," Kitsune said. To say she was skeptical would be a slight understatement. "You expect us to believe that's all you did?"

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," Kentaro thought, sighing. "Well," he said. "To be honest, her unclothed state did not go... shall we say... unobsserved."

"So you admit to ogling Naru while she was incapacitated," Motoko said.

"Yes," Kentaro said. "Nothing more, nothing less. It is true that many men would not hesitate to violate Naru if given such an opportunity, but I am not one of them. Despite my failed attempts to win Naru's affection, I will not, now or ever, stoop so low as to sate my desires in such a forceful manner." He crossed his arms. "I've said my piece. If you're still going to persecute me, go on ahead, but keep in mind that you'll be punishing an innocent man."

The girls all exchanged glances, not entirely sure of what to do next. "Oh, come on," Kitsune finally said. "We can't just let him get away with this! I mean, you've gone after Keitaro's head for less!"

"Do no remind me," Motoko said. "While it is true that if this had happened some time ago, Kentaro would be execued, or at least castrated for his actions. However, times have begun to change and I will not harm anyone, regardless of gender, without probable cause."

"And you don't call what he did probable cause!" Kitsune asked, almost screaming. "Naru, you agree with me, right?"

Naru shook her head. "No." She turned to Kentaro. "I thank you for caring for me while I was intoxicated and for your show of... restraint."

"You don't really believe him, do you?" Kitsune asked.

"Yes, I do. Were I to follow your lead and give him a trashing, I woulod find myself in the same cycle of abuse I found myself in with Keitaro. We all know where that lead. Kentaro, you are free to go."

"Thank you," Kentaro said, taking the opportunity while Kitsune's views were still in the minority. As soon as he was outside, he let out a sigh of relief. "And so, truth prevails." Not wasting any more time, he returned to the tea shop. "I'm back," he announced.

"So you are," Haruka said, inwardly surprised that Kentaro came back at all, much less whole. "What did the girls want with you?"

"They just wanted to have a talk with me," Kentaro said, heading off into the back to get back to work, effectively end the conversation. While he had his back turned Haruka allowed herself to narrow her eyes in confusion.

---

"Have you guys all gone nuts?" Kitsune asked once the defendant was out of sight.

"I might ask you the same thing," Motoko said. "Ever since yesterday, you have expressed enough anger to compensate for both Naru and myself."

"Considering what has happened in that span, I'm sure you can understand why," Kitsune said. "I still can't believe you let Kentaro go like that."

"He's not at fault for this," Naru said. "I'm the one who ran away from her problems. The only other one I could blame is Keitaro, and you already know, he has received his punishment and then some. Besides, what Kentaro did was not that bad."

"Are you kidding?" Kitsune asked. "You've given beatdowns to Keitaro for so much as suspiscion of peeping. Kentaro flat out admits to it and you do nothing. What's gotten into you?"

"Awareness, that's what," Naru responded. "I never truly realized what it was like to be appreciated for my looks until I stopped receiving it. In a way, I'm kind of flattered."

"Whatever," Kitsune said, getting up to leave the room, but was stopped by Motoko grabbing her arm.

"Kitsune, you need to calm down," the swordswoman said. "We know you're angry about what happened to Naru; I can empathize with you on this. However, you must not let your anger consume you."

"That's right," Naru said. "After all, look where I ended up."

"You have a point," Kitsune said. "I guess if you can learn to keep your temper, I have no reason to lose it for too long, no matter the circumstances. Hopefully, I won't fly off the handle like I did ever again."

One by one, everyone left each other to their own devices. Not surprisingly, the day seemed to go by relatively quickly, despite their beloved landlord's absense. Perhaps it was thought of his return in the near future that helped things along.

End of Chapter 14

Long-winded perhaps, but it gets the point across. It seems every time I think the plotline for a chapter is too thin, I'm surprised by how long it becomes. Please R&R, but do so at a reasonable volume, as I do not appreciate being yelled at.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own no part of LH. 

_I am a little bit of loneliness; a little bit of disregard.  
A handful of complaints but I can't help the fact  
That everyone can see these scars.  
I am what I want you to want; what I want you to feel  
But it's like no matter what I do, I can't convince you  
To just believe this is real.  
So I let go, watching you turn you back like you always do.  
Face away and pretend that I'm not  
But I'll be here 'cause you're all that I got._

_---Linkin Park_

Chapter 15

Morning came in all its glory, and Motoko found herself in awe at such a wondrous sight as soon as she appeared on the roof--and this is no small feat. Despite her original plans, not to mention her penchant for routine, she decided not to spoil such a beautiful day with her usual training regimen. Instead, she opted to meditate; something that quickly turned into self-reflection.

"It is amazing," the swordswoman thought. "How one's opinions, even one's values can change in such a short time. Had all of this happened six months ago, I would have beheaded both Keitaro and Kentaro for what they have done--or what I thought they might have done. Now... now I know not to judge a person... a man prematurely." At that point, her train of thought arrived at the source of her animosity. "Sister... I now understand."

Indeed, all of the girls, especially Naru, found themselves more at ease that morning. Perhaps it was because they had tied up all of the loose ends from the disaster that was two days previous. The only thing that could possibly put a damper on things would have been thoughts of their laid-up landlord, but they all knew he would return to them soon enough.

"Here you go, everyone," Shinobu said as she served breakfast, her cheerfulness back as though it was never gone. "Enjoy." She was just about to sit down when the phone rang. "Don't get up," she said. "I'll get it."

The other girls watched Shinobu skip out of the room. None of them could be too sure as to who was calling, but they all had their hopes. From their seats, they could barely hear the conversation.

"Hello? ... Uh huh. ... I see. Thank you." Shinobu hung up and returned to the dining room to find a bunch of looks of expectation trained on her. "That was Haruka," she said after regaining her composure. "She's going to the hospital now. Keitaro should be back within the hour."

Normally, such good news would have been reason enough to celebrate, but now, everyone, even Suu, just smiled, knowing that everything would soon be returning to normal--in a manner of speaking.

---

During her trip, Haruka first thought of the reactions the girls might have had to her announcement, her prediction being somewhat overestimated. To her credit, she would have been right 9 times out of 10. Also, being alone and without the sense of urgency like the previous day, she allowed her mind to wander. Memories were brought forth from past hospital visits, most notably being there when Keitaro was born. "Those were simpler times back then," she thought wistfully.

All of the issues at the hospital were resolved with minimal fuss and, before long, both Haruka and Keitaro were on their way back to Hinata-Sou. "It must feel good to be up and around again," Haruka said.

"Yeah," Keitaro said. "I'm looking forward to seeing the girls again." The way he was talking, one would think he's been out of action for months. Granted, if anybody else was put in his position, they would have been, if not in the morgue.

"They're looking forward to seeing you, too," Haruka said. Farther along in the train ride, she noticed that Keitaro looked deep in thought. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Keitaro said, coming back to reality. "Oh, no. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Well, don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself." Haruka flinched internally at the poor choice of words, but was relieved when her nephew took it in stride.

"Yeah, right," Keitaro said, chuckling a bit. Little did his aunt know just how right she was. After all, just consider how much thinking he has done in recent days and where it got him.

Eventually, the train arrived at its destination and the two began their walk back to the dorm. Haruka took it upon herself to accompany Keitaro up the long steps, even though he said it wasn't necessary. When they reached the top, she placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him from continuing towards the front door. Keitaro was just about ask if something was up, but he never got the chance.

Despite herself, Haruka brought Keitaro close to her in an embrace. "You have no idea how worried is was about you," she said, almost on the verge of tears. Almost.

At first, Keitaro was stunned by Haruka's actions, and rightly so, but quickly returned the favor. "Everything's going to be fine, aunt Haruka."

After a little while, Haruka broke off the hug. "I'm going to let that one slide," she said, regaining her emotionless demeanor. "Now, I have to go open up the shop. I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Keitaro said as he watched Haruka descend the steps. Taking a deep breath, he turned back towards the dorm. "I have to do this," he thought. "I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't."

---

Meanwhile, the girls were in the living room, eagerly awaiting his arrival, and have been for the last fifteen minutes, following a quick breakfast and an even quicker bath. As a group, they had decided not to inform Keitaro about their interrogation of Kentaro, so as not to risk opening old wounds. In fact the last two days, with the only possible exception of their visit to the hospital, would be a stretch of time never to be spoken of again; period.

As the time came near, anxiety began to set in. "What do you think he'll do when he gets here?" Shinobu asked.

"I wish I could say," Kitsune said. "But whatever happens, we don't have much choice but to live with it. Besides, the only one who should have anything to worry about is me and you all know it."

"On that note," Naru said. "I think we should make strides to avoid any... difficulties... between us and him in the future. This means no overreacting, no making him a test subject and no con games from here on, am I clear?"

Motoko and Shinobu quickly agreed to Naru's terms, though Suu and Kitsune didn't look too happy about it, but before they could negotiate, the front door swung open.

"Hey, everyone," Keitaro said, using his well rehearsed cheerfulness, at least to a point.

"Welcome home," Naru said, standing up to greet him, sporting a somewhat forced smile of her own.

"Yeah," Keitaro said. A moment of uncomfortable silence followed as his charade slowly gave way. "Naru..." he said, trying to find the right words. "When you can, I'd like to see you in my room for a few minutes." With that, he upstairs, leaving the girls in various states of shock.

"Why does he want to see me?" Naru thought when she got her wits back. "Maybe it's about my confession yesterday. If that's the case..." Not wasting another moment, she followed in Keitaro's wake, leaving the others to speculate, though one in particular had a pretty good idea.

"If he's doing what I think he's going to do," Kitsune thought. "...Oh man..."

When Naru opened Keitaro's door, she found him standing in the middle of the room, his back turned. "Um, Keitaro?"

"Have a seat," Keitaro said, trying to sound welcoming as he gestured towards the table behind him.

"Aren't you going to turn around?" Naru asked as she sat down. "Whatever you have to say, it might be easier face to face."

"That's what she thinks," Keitaro thought. "If I look her in the eye, I might lose my nerve--and I doubt I'll get a second chance." "Please humor me, alright?" he asked.

"Okay," Naru said suddenly feeling a tightness in her chest.

"I know I've been a jerk to you these last several days," Keitaro began. "That is beyond dispute. I just wanted to say that I'm... I'm sorry for what I did."

For once, Naru came to Keitaro's defense. "If this is because of what Kitsune did--"

"Kitsune has nothing to do with this," Keitaro broke in. "My stay at the hospital, as brief as it was, gave me a lot of time to think, especially about what you told me that day. Finally, I decided that I cannot in good conscious continue the lie I have been living."

"What are you saying?" Naru asked.

"I'm saying that all the times I blatantly ignored you and every ounce of backtalk has been an act."

"An act?" Naru asked, hardly able to believe her ears. "You mean you were pretending to hate me the entire time?"

"That's right."

"Keitaro..." Naru felt like crying, but none came out, much to her surprise. "Why? Why would you do something like that? Didn't you see the effect it had on me?"

"Yes, I did," Keitaro said. "After you last sent me flying into town ten days ago, I concluded that life at that point had turned into a cycle that could only get worse if left unchecked. Therefore, if I was ever going to pull myself out of it, I would have to take action.

"First on my 'to do' list was determine your true feelings toward me. Aside from asking you point blank--which I knew was pure suicide--the only way I could think of was turning to tables on you. From the very start, I hated what I was doing, but I convinced myself that it had to be done." Keitaro chuckled a bit despite himself. "You may be surprised to know that my greatest fear during this time wasn't you hurting me, but that, once I started verbally abusing you, I might not have been able to stop. In other words, the act would no longer be an act."

Naru hung on Keitaro's words in complete silence. She was finally compelled to speak when Keitaro turned around. "What's that?" she asked, referring to the notebook he held close to his chest.

"This is where I kept my notes during my so-called experiment," Keitaro said, taking a seat across from Naru. After searching for a particular page, he laid it down onto the table. "Here, you can see everything I observed, not to mention plans for the future."

As Naru scanned the page, she saw that it was a detailed account of her descent into her own personal hell. "If only I hadn't been so stubborn," she thought. "It would have saved both of us a great deal of grief." Turning a page, she found something that piqued her curiosity. Flipping a few more pages, her suspicions were confirmed. "Hey, why are the others in here?"

"Early on, I discovered just how clueless I've been all this time," Keitaro said. "What better way to change that than to put in the effort to get to know them better? If Shinobu is any indication, I could easily say it's been the best decision I've made since I got here."

"You mean the way you were treating them was a lie too?" Naru asked.

"No," Keitaro said. "And I want you to tell them that."

"Aren't you going to tell them yourself?"

Keitaro shook his head. "I don't think I can face them right now. Besides, when everything is out in the open, I doubt any of you will look at me the same way even again."

"You're probably right," Naru said as she got up, taking the notebook with her. "I'll go fill them in."

"One more thing," Keitaro said. "Even though it looked like I either wasn't listening or didn't care, your confession played itself through my head all day. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you were right."

"Right about what?" Naru asked.

"About us," Keitaro said. "About how there was no hope for a relationship. I can only guess how much soul searching it took for you to reach that conclusion, but it didn't take too long for me to see the truth behind it. Even if you had said something sooner, it wouldn't have made a difference. Don't get me wrong, I went through every scenario I could think of; every time, we ended up screaming at each other within six months. I'm just glad we didn't have to find all this out the hard way."

"Why are you telling me this?" Naru asked.

"To make sure we don't think about what might have been," Keitaro said. "It would he hard to move forward if we're always digging up the past."

"Does that mean we could have a fresh start? On better terms?" Naru asked.

"Maybe."

"To be honest..." Naru said. "That was more than I ever expected." She then left the room, closing the door behind her.

"...Yeah..." For Keitaro, nothing more needed to be said. He would take whatever came his way because of his actions.

---

When Naru returned to the living room, she found everyone still there except for Suu, who most likely got bored and went up to her room. "So," Kitsune said. "What did he say?"

"It's a good thing they're sitting down," Naru thought, sighing internally as she recounted the entire discussion, only leaving out the last part for personal reasons.

"He would never do something like that," Shinobu said after Naru was finished. To her, the concept of Keitaro being deceptive--or at least intentionally so--was very farfetched.

"I must agree," Motoko said. "Granted, I have thought many things of him, but nothing like what you have described."

"See for yourself," Naru said, revealing the notebook that she had been hiding behind her back up until now and tossing it onto the table. "If anyone wants me, I'll be in the hot spring."

"Hold on," Kitsune said. "We were just there."

"What's your point?" Naru asked as she left the room.

"This must have been a lot for her to take in all at once," Shinobu said. Reaching for the notebook, she turned to the first page and was surprised by what she saw. "It's... it's me," she thought. As she read, she saw how Keitaro took note of Shinobu's prior behavioral traits and actually documented the steps he took that brought about her transformation into a more confident girl. "Keitaro..."

"Shinobu?" Motoko asked.

"Even if he did lie to me, I wouldn't care," Shinobu thought, resisting the urge to cry. Such emotional outbursts was a habit she's been trying to break in recent days, with some degree of success. "He put forth the effort to make me a better person, and I'm grateful for it." She handed off the notebook to Motoko. "I don't need to see any more," she said, much to the surprise of Motoko and Kitsune, and went off to her room.

"It is amazing that Keitaro has been able to do this without getting found out," Motoko said, taking her turn.

"No kidding," Kitsune said, keeping a straight face.

"Do you want to see what he wrote about you?" Motoko asked.

"No thanks," Kitsune answered. "Somehow, I have a good idea what he put in there." This would have been true even if she hadn't already looked through it once before.

Motoko glanced through the notebook, noting Keitaro's observations and plans concerning each tenant until she reached the page devoted to herself. She half-expected to see references to the almost ritualistic beatings she has given him in the past, but there wasn't even the slightest mention of it. Instead, he praised her for her dedication to her art and her self-appointed role as protector of the other girls from perverts (including himself, warranted or otherwise).

Following the basic profile were various objectives, including his trips to the roof to accompany her during her morning exercises. "He actually went out of his way to do all this," Motoko thought.

She continued reading, some of Keitaro's notes coming as a surprise to her, but none were as great as the final entry, marked the day before disaster struck: "Plan to talk to her about her recent odd behavior."

"Have I been that obvious?" Motoko asked herself. Thinking back, the answer became all too clear. "Yes, I have. I should have known that Keitaro would have noticed something, given his strides toward improved awareness. Perhaps..."

From Kitsune's perspective, Motoko appeared consumed in her thoughts, her face slowly showing color. Then suddenly, without warning, the swordswoman turned to face her. "Kitsune," she said. "May I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure," Kitsune replied instantly. "What do you need me to do?"

---

Keitaro had hardly moved a muscle when he heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he called out.

"It's me."

"Oh, come in, Kitsune."

The fox stepped into the room, closing the door behind her, and took a seat where Naru had been earlier. "So," she said, noting Keitaro's neutral expression. "How are you?"

"Felt better, felt worse," Keitaro said. "I'm surprised you're the first one to visit me after I came clean."

"Why? Who were you expecting?" Kitsune asked.

"Shinobu, maybe."

"Well, I'm surprised you didn't tell Naru about me," Kitsune said. "Mind if I ask why?"

"I want to put this whole thing behind me as much as you do, if not more," Keitaro said. "I may just pretend like it never even happened."

"I don't think that'll be possible," Kitsune said.

"Why's that?" Keitaro asked.

"I'm not your only visitor," Kitsune said, turning her head back towards the door. "You can come in now!"

"Hmm?" Keitaro watched in interest as the door opened. "Motoko?" he thought.

As said girl entered, Kitsune got up to leave. The two paused briefly when they reached one another, at which point Motoko nodded in silent thanks, confusing Keitaro all the more. Unlike Naru and Kitsune before her, Motoko opted to sit next to Keitaro instead of across from him.

"So..." Keitaro said, breaking the uneasy silence. "What brings you here?"

"You wished to speak with me about the way I have been acting as of late," Motoko said, a noticeable blush on her face from the moment she walked in.

"I did, didn't I?" Keitaro said. "Though I wasn't going to be so blunt about it."

"I feel it is better this way," Motoko said. "Prolonging it further would only make it harder." She took a deep breath before continuing, at least partly in an attempt to slow her racing pulse. "Over the last few days, I believe I have... fallen for you."

That came out so quietly, Keitaro barely heard it, much less understood it. "What was that?" he asked.

"Just say it," Motoko mind commanded. "JUST SAY IT!"

Keitaro noticed Motoko start to tremble and compassion took over. "Is something wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Such a simple gesture was all it took for Motoko's dam to break. Before she could stop herself, she lunged at Keitaro, sending him onto his back. "I said I love you!" she said, their faces barely an inch apart. She barely had the self-restraint to keep from bridging that gap.

"Motoko..." Keitaro gently grabbed Motoko's shoulders and, with some effort, was once again sitting upright. "Are you sure about this? I wouldn't want you to do something you'll regret."

"I am sure," Motoko said, not looking away. "I realize that this is a new experience for me, and it was very difficult to grasp at first. However, I gave the matter a great deal of thought and was eventually able to accept what my heart was telling me. It was then that I vowed to not repeat the mistakes Naru made; to keep my feelings contained until it was too late."

"And you still feel this way after knowing what I've done?" Keitaro asked.

"You must have known the risks you were taking, but you did it anyway," Motoko said. "If anything, such an act of bravery only made my love for you that much stronger." Almost tentatively, she wrapped her arms around Keitaro and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know I am not your first love, but--"

"Shh..." Keitaro said, returning the favor. "That doesn't matter."

"I had often wondered what this would feel like," Motoko said.

"Does it meet your expectations?" Keitaro asked.

"You have no idea."

The two would remain in each other's arms for a good while. Neither of them knew how long a relationship between them would last, but at that particular moment, it wasn't really an issue.

THE END

And the ride comes to an end. Despite the requests I may receive, I most likely will not be continuing this story. No offense to fans and/or authors of them, but Kei/Mot fics have sort of been done to death, and any attempt I make will probably run thin rather quickly. I thank those who have made this story as popular as it is and hope you enjoy any of my future endeavors.


End file.
